Director of Rose Museum at Brandeis University speaks out

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Over at Modern Art Notes, blogger Tyler Green covers a range of issues with Michael Rush, director of the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University.

Citing budget deficits, Brandeis announced on Monday plans to close the museum and sell its 6,000-piece art collection, valued at about $350 million. The move immediately prompted an outcry from donors and alumni, seeking to halt the sell-off.

In the Q&A, Rush notes that the museum itself is not having financial problems and that it is financially autonomous; it’s the university that has problems. He also says the Rose’s endowment -- $25 million at its peak before the economic slump hit -- would fall under the control of the university if the Rose closes.

The university said the museum, founded in 1961, would close this summer.

-- Lisa Fung

Photo: Rose Art Museum by redgoldfly