Works at Detroit Institute of Arts May Be Declared Unsellable

The debate continues.

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Complex Original

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We told you about the controversy with the Detroit Institute of Arts and how the city wants to sell its art collection to pay debts. Well the debate has been boiled down to this question: are the paintings, sculptures, and other various works considered city property or are they part of the public trust, making them unable to be sold?

The emergency manager Kevyn Orr is reportedly looking to sell works to cover the $15 billion dollar debt the city faces. The news of the controversial decision caused protest from members in the art world. The director of the museum said to New York Times that the works couldn't be sold. The museum has about 60,000 objects from the Renaissance to the 20th century as well art from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

Bill Nowling, a spokesman representing Orr, told MyFOX Detroit, "As Kevyn Orr has said many times, he is considering many different options to help rectify Detroit's fiscal crisis. What I can say is that there is no formal plan on the table to sell any Detroit asset, the DIA or otherwise.”

[via LATimes]

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