The Phillips Collection museum in Washington, D.C. has received last-minute approval for a controversial plan to auction works by Georges Seurat, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Anish Kapoor at Sotheby’s.
The stated goal is to create an endowment fund for future contemporary art commissions and for the care of the collection.
The deaccessioning program includes ten works from the museum, eight of which are included in this week’s New York autumn auctions. In Sotheby’s evening sale on November 20, O’Keeffe’s emblematic painting Large Dark Red Leaves on White (1927) stands out, with an estimate between 6 and 8 million dollars.
In the same round, the pastel drawing by the great French post-impressionist Seurat, Clowns et poney (1883–4), will be up for sale, with expectations between 3 and 5 million dollars. A canvas by Arthur Dove is instead valued around one million dollars, confirming the overall economic significance of the operation.
How the Phillips museum auction at Sotheby’s is structured
Kapoor’s work, donated to the Phillips in 2020, will be offered in the contemporary day sale on November 19, with a maximum estimate of 300,000 dollars. Additionally, in the same context, works by Leland Bell and Howard Mehring will appear, reaffirming the modern and contemporary focus of the proposed selection.
In its catalog, Sotheby’s emphasizes the connection of these lots with what it calls “America’s first museum of modern art,” founded in 1921 on the collection of Duncan Phillips and Marjorie Acker Phillips. The two collectors were pioneers in supporting artists who would define 20th-century American art.
That said, divergent interpretations of their legacy complicate today’s assessment of the legitimacy of selling some of the works they selected. The case, brought to public attention by an investigation by the Washington Post, has sparked an internal debate lasting over 18 months.
Who supports and who contests the deaccessioning plan?
The museum’s management and the board of trustees, which unanimously approved the decision in June 2024, have sided in favor of deaccessioning. The main opponents, however, are found in the board of members, a non-governing body that includes descendants of the Phillips family and former employees.
A spokesperson for the Phillips Collection confirmed via email that, over the course of this month, the parties reached an agreement on the crucial issue: which works should be considered part of the “core collection,” not subject to alienation. This issue was at the heart of the tensions that have emerged in recent years.
Since 2000, the museum’s deaccessioning policy defined as untouchable core only the works included in the 1999 volume The Eye of Duncan Phillips, which covered only a portion of the collection. All other works remained theoretically alienable, with a very wide margin of maneuver for the institution.
How does the definition of “core collection” change?
From this month, the definition of “core collection” has been expanded to include all works cataloged in the important 1985 repertoire, which is decidedly more comprehensive. This compromise should ensure that such works cannot be subject to deaccessioning in the future, strengthening the protection of the historical heart of the collection.
The deaccessioning plan was developed by Jonathan Binstock, appointed director of the Phillips in 2023. To select the ten works, Binstock coordinated an extensive research process conducted by the museum’s curatorial department, aimed at evaluating the role of each work in the overall narrative of the collection.
Based on this study, the pieces were identified that, according to the museum, “do not add sufficient value to the Phillips’ ability to represent the voice of these artists and the legacy of Duncan Phillips.” Additionally, with the proceeds, the director hopes to diversify the collection, emphasizing openness to contemporary languages and authors.
What are the criticisms of the former curators?
Among the most explicit detractors of the sale is the former chief curator of the Phillips, Eliza Rathbone. Interviewed by the Washington Post, she stated that she and “many” of her colleagues are “deeply saddened and upset that the Phillips Collection irreparably tarnishes the founder’s vision by selling works chosen with such care.”
Rathbone recalled that, while proudly experimental in his approach, Duncan Phillips considered the collection a creative conception completed at the end of his life. From this perspective, the removal of significant works would undermine a balance intended as unitary and not as a heritage modifiable based on present needs.
The former curator is part of the board of members, chaired by the granddaughter of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips, Liza Phillips. Together with other members, she has helped to emphasize the importance of various works indicated for deaccessioning, trying to demonstrate their historical and stylistic weight in the context of the museum.
The Phillips museum works at auction
In defense of O’Keeffe’s painting, Rathbone and her colleagues argued that Large Dark Red Leaves on White represents the best example of the artist’s style among the six works present at the Phillips. Compared to other works, this painting would constitute a reference point in the reading of her pictorial language.
Binstock rejected these arguments, stating that he does not consider Seurat or O’Keeffe central to the museum’s identity. In his view, on the contrary, the true legacy of Duncan and Marjorie Phillips lies in their choice to support living artists and ongoing research.
Therefore, according to the director, the best way to honor that vision is to imagine “a bold future, open to more people, more diverse people, more diverse communities.” Overall, the controversy over the deaccessioning of the Phillips Collection seems destined to continue, while the market awaits the outcome of the November auctions.
As expert in digital marketing, Amelia began working in the fintech sector in 2014 after writing her thesis on Bitcoin technology. Previously author for several international crypto-related magazines and CMO at Eidoo. She is now the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Cryptonomist and Econique.
She is also a marketing teacher at Digital Coach in Milan and she published a book about NFTs for the Italian publishing house Mondadori, while she is also helping artists and company to entering in the sector. As advisor, Amelia is also involved in metaverse-related project such as The Nemesis and OVER.
