A committee in Michigan’s State Senate approved a bill on Tuesday protecting the collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts from liquidation in a bankruptcy proceeding. Other Michigan museums are protected as well.
The Detroit Free Press writes:
The bill would codify ethical standards adopted by the American Alliance of Museums, which bars museums from selling artwork for purposes other than enhancement of the museum’s collection.
The language was strengthened, said the DIA’s attorney John Pirich, by including references to an 1885 act that stated art collections are a public trust that must be protected.
Detroit’s emergency manager declared last week–to a great deal of backlash–that he was appraising the museum’s collection as an asset to determine how to pull the city out of a $15 billion debt.
The bill was introduced on Thursday last week and was approved Tuesday in a 5-0 vote. It will now move to the full Senate “where it is expected to be taken up later this week,” according to the Free Press.
