Carol Vogel describes the deaccessioning at the Montclair Museum with this interesting quote. Someone taking into account the entire resources of a region in their planning: what a novel idea?

The museum has been evaluating collections methodically to see what it should part with and what it won’t. Some works will be sold at Christie’s spring auctions.

Perhaps among the most valuable items going on the block is a 1951 drawing by Jackson Pollock. The classic drip image is delicate, as well as light-sensitive, and therefore cannot be shown often. Among the factors the museum considered, Ms. Urbanelli said, was whether “it really matters if we have a Pollock drip when you can take a bus and be in the city in 20 minutes, where you can see lots of work by Pollock.”

What the museum hopes to buy in its place has yet to be decided. “We have to think about the community,” Ms. Urbanelli said. “We also hope to grow our endowment.”

Inside Art: Montclair Sells Works (New York Times)