The deaccessioning of art – the process by which a cultural institution removes a work of art from its permanent holdings – is something that the Jonathan Art Foundation’s Deaccessioning Committee considers periodically and with prudence. Now, after several years of discussions and meetings, a vigorous deaccession plan has been realized, led by our Deaccession Committee Chair Debora Edmunds. Approximately 100 out of nearly 600 artworks in our collection have been consigned to John Moran Auctioneers. The majority of these will be sold under the auction house’s California and American Fine Art lot on May 9, although a few items will go to auction through their Art of the American West lot held on June 6, the Modern and Contemporary Fine Art lot on June 13, and their Studio Sale in July.
This decision was taken to help raise funds for the Jonathan Art Foundation’s central mission: the refinement of our esteemed collection of Southern California art through the acquisition of prized new works and the renovation of our storage area. The deaccessioned items were selected by deciding which works had just enough value to be sold, while remaining careful not to give away our crown jewels.
Jonathan Club inventory record of Dukes Antechamber by Charles B. Hunt. Record made circa 1938
Our role at the Jonathan Art Foundation goes beyond facilitating art appreciation. We mold collections over time in response to changing tastes and values, because one generation’s masterpiece can seem dreadfully out of touch to another. The leather-bound inventory from the 1940s pictured below demonstrates the Jonathan Art Foundation’s own evolving interests. It details around 80 works that made up the club’s holdings at the time, and which, in contrast to our current, narrower focus on Southern Californian plein air artworks, featured an eclectic range of items with a largely European bent. These included French loomed tapestries, Moorish vases, and Chinese and Japanese urns, in addition to silver cups, marble busts and maps. The painting collection did include a few Californian artists too, such as Granville Redmond and Angel Espoy, as well as European landscape scenes and the figurative painting Dukes Antechamber (1938) by the 19th century British artist Charles B. Hunt.
Of the items listed in this mid-20th century inventory, only four remain in the collection. And given that there are scant details provided about the fate of these objects, we can only assume that many were deaccessioned to facilitate the purchase of new works.
A completely different collection exists today, one focused on Southern California plein air paintings by some of the leading practitioners of the early 20th century, and specialization in this direction has not been by accident. Granville Redmond and Angel Espoy are still present, but the original holdings have been replaced by more skilled examples of their work. The Foundation believes that vibrant art collections must evolve to embrace change and reinvention. It is because of our persistent efforts in developing such a focused and valuable body of work that we’ve garnered the reputation for being one of the finest collectors of this genre of art.
Non-profit collections regularly part with artworks, although it’s a fact that they tend not to publicize. Objects that are officially accessioned are kept only for as long as they can be adequately maintained and remain in sync with the values of the Foundation. When this is no longer the case, deaccessioned works are sold and the proceeds typically used to purchase new artworks.
Artworks that are deaccessioned may have become less culturally or historically significant, be unsustainable to maintain by the holding institution, or have simply been damaged beyond repair. An example of the latter is Edward Arnold Reep’s Los Angeles Shoeshine (1948). Despite the esteem of the artist and the incredible quality of the painting itself, the canvas exhibits severe cracking throughout. An art conservator might be able to prevent the painting from deteriorating further, but little can be done to reverse the damage. For this and other reasons, the Jonathan Art Foundation decided to deaccession this painting to John Moran along with the 99 other artworks.
Los Angeles Shoeshine by Edward Arnold Reep, 1948, 30 x 20 inches, oil on canvas
There are some red lines we try to avoid crossing when deaccessioning art. We will not sell works by living artists in the collection, such as Robert Ketchum’s exceptional photographs, or break legal agreements with Jonathan Club life artists who have bequeathed their works to us, such as with the Theodore Lukits collection. There are exceptions to this. For example, we can sell a few of Lukit’s pastels per year – although not his oils – but only in order to maintain his expansive collection at the club.
The undertaking of our recent deaccessioning efforts will allow the Foundation to purchase artworks believed to better align with the Jonathan Art Foundation’s mission by our leadership. As a result, we hope to be able to present brand-new acquisitions for you to admire soon at the Town and Beach Club, which, while individually beguiling, should also enhance the value of and appreciation for the existing collection.
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