But he decided not to do it because even with the paperwork from the sale, he said, he knew he would run up against the museum directors' guidelines.
The Faces of Terror Like a line in a sacred text, a single sentence in the museum's guidelines generated volumes of conflicting commentary: Exhibits should explore "a factual presentation of what is known of the terrorists, including their methods and means of preparation".
Still, he said, the museums' ethical guidelines were better than nothing.
As the article indicated, the museum's written guidelines suggest that the Met obtain proof that such objects left their source countries at least 10 years earlier.
In addition to further stretching the museum's chartered guidelines by politicizing the subjective question of what is the truly the "heart of the matter" with regard to terrorism, the specific conveners of this series, Clifford Chanin and Bernard Haykel, raise concern about its content.
The American Assn. of Museums' new ethical guidelines on exhibiting borrowed objects state that museums must be true to their missions and avoid conflicts of interest, but they do not prohibit or detail conditions for exhibitions of private collections.
In the future, he says he will acquire less expensive work by less established artists, while complying with museum-world ethical guidelines designed to ensure that a director puts the museum's interests first and doesn't use the position for personal enrichment.
For example, the Netherlands' national museums have established guidelines for returning objects obtained without consent.
(The Walker is one of the few museums with written guidelines on this issue).
