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The Everson Museum of Art in downtown Syracuse is selling Jackson Pollock’s “Red Composition,” one of its most valuable works, on Oct. 6.

The museum announced in early September that its Board of Trustees unanimously voted for the painting’s removal and sale, known as deaccession. Christie’s Auction House will sell the painting, which is estimated to be worth $12 to $18 million, according to a press release from the auction house.

Using the proceeds from the sale, the Everson Museum plans to care for its existing art collection and acquire works that underrepresented artists have created.

All deaccessions are somewhat controversial due to concerns over maintaining the significance of a collection and breaking the trust of donors who gift works to museums, said Sascha Scott, an art history professor at Syracuse University.

Dorothy and Marshall Reisman donated the painting to the Everson Museum in 1991, and it has been part of the museum’s collection ever since.

But the artwork has only been on display a few times, said Elizabeth Dunbar, director and CEO of the museum. The museum prefers to curate temporary exhibits over permanent galleries and has fewer works of abstract expressionism, the style in which the Pollock is painted.

Jackson Pollock’s “Red Composition” is estimated to be worth $12 to $18 million. Courtesy of Christie’s Auction House

“Red Composition” was chosen from the Everson Museum’s collection for sale largely because of its value, Dunbar said. The painting is the only item in the collection that would enable the museum to reach its financial goals without selling other artwork.

While the Pollock has the greatest financial value out of the works in the Everson Museum’s collection, it’s not the most important piece the museum owns, Dunbar said. The Everson Museum boasts a ceramic piece called “Scarab Vase” by artist and ceramist Adelaide Robineau. The vase has been called the “Mona Lisa of ceramics” and is always on display, Dunbar said.

“People make pilgrimages from all over the world to see (Scarab Vase),” said Dunbar. “It would not be worth $18 million on the market, but to us, it’s by far more valuable to what our museum does in our community.”

Deaccessions can best be understood through the goals of the collection, said Samuel Johnson, an art history professor at SU. Different museums collect different kinds and styles of art, so not every piece would fit in with each collection.

The museum plans to use the proceeds to acquire more works by underrepresented artists, including women and artists of color, marking the latest step in its efforts to better represent the Syracuse community. The presentation of a collection that includes works by artists with a variety of backgrounds and experiences would better reflect the diversity of the community, Dunbar said.

After the police killing of George Floyd in May, the museum developed an Equity Task Force to determine ways to emphasize equality in the museum and help the surrounding community.

“The museum has always been a place of shared experience and shared learning,” Dunbar said. “We’re not going to sit by the sidelines and let things pass us by that we feel are wrong, and it’s incumbent upon us as the community resource to be in the forefront of making change.”

Artists tell stories through their work, but women and artists of color have historically been “cut out of the picture,” Scott said.

Diverse art collections are an important step for a museum to accurately reflect the community that it belongs to, and the collections improve engagement with community members, Dunbar said. But representation does not necessarily mean equity, Scott said.

“Museums (and) art history absolutely play a role in (solving these issues),” Scott said. “They have the potential to disrupt dominant narratives. They have the potential, if done well and with community input and collaboration, to tell stories that aren’t being told about this community.”

Published on September 29, 2020 at 10:44 pm

Contact Abby: avpresso@syr.edu | @abbyvp08