Museums and COVID-19: from Deaccessioning to Reopening

By Olivia Baker.

Since March of 2020, it is an understatement to say that the world has been completely altered due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the past few months, artists and art institutions faced the ramifications of the pandemic, between canceled exhibitions, dealing with extraordinary financial losses, and numerous layoffs and furloughs. It was reported that, in April 2020 alone, the cultural sector in Italy was expected to lose 3 billion euros and Spain was expected to lose 980 million euros.^[1] In the United States, the American Alliance of Museums (“AAM”) announced that American museums were losing at least $33 million a day and estimates that a third will not reopen after COVID-19.^[2] Some of the first states to initiate reopening began as early as April 24th and many other states began to follow their lead throughout the end of April into May.^[3] While states and other countries begin to reopen, museums have to think about how to approach reopening in a safe manner for both museumgoers and their staff. Deaccessioning has also become a hot issue for museums that may have to sell part of their collections to stay afloat.

Deaccessioning in a Post-COVID-19 World

Art museums are very familiar with the concept of deaccessioning; the mechanism of officially removing an item from the listed holdings of a library, museum, or art gallery, typically in order to sell to raise funds. Deaccessioning a work of art from a museum’s collection occurs through transfer of ownership either to another institution or by individual sale, exchange, or grant. Museums use deaccession to either improve the usefulness of a collection to adhere to the intentions and mission of the museum, or to acquire other works of art that will better suit the needs of the collection.^[4]