Buffalo Rising Online

Sadly, the Albright has its positive reputation in contemporary and modern because it has aborted its classic and period art and the patrons that entrusted the donation of their classical and period art to them.

The mission of the Albright Knox is NOT restricted to contemporary and modern art. They received donations and endowments of classical and period art under condition that it never be sold or deaccessioned (whatever the term).

A group of elitists cannot create a coupdeta and undo the donations and endowments of predecessors for their own personal mission to embellish their resume.

Its wonderful that the A-K was chosen. The problem is not the fate of their contemporary or modern collection but that they are aborting their classic and period art.

Rather than sell their classical and period art, they should take it and the associated endowment and open another museum specific to that type of art and sculpture.

The A-K cannot be a world class modern and contemporary art museum by cannibalizing its classical and period art and sculptural endowment. They didnt receive those endowments for that purpose. If the A-K is to be a world class modern and contemporary museum then it should to it on its own with endowments specifically and shows specifically for that purpose....but not at the expense and sacrifice.

Really, its time for the A-K to split off and create a new museum for its classical and period art and sculpture.

Let them build their new addition....in which case it would perfectly fit their modern and contemporary collection.

At such time it might be wise to use the existing 1910 building for its classical collection under a different name.

From the AK website...

MISSION The Albright-Knox Art Gallery, one of the nation’s oldest public arts organizations, has a clear and compelling mission to acquire, exhibit, and preserve both modern and contemporary art. It focuses especially on contemporary art, with an active commitment to taking a global and multidisciplinary approach to the presentation, interpretation, and collection of the artistic expressions of our times. In an enriching, dynamic, and vibrant environment that embraces diverse cultures and traditions, the Gallery seeks to serve a broad and far-reaching audience.

PaulBuffalo,

Buffalo21stcentury is right here, at least about the damage the museum has done to its reputation, to the museum's orginal directives (which do not limit its mission to "modern" or "contemporary"), and to the community's experience of art. The museum probably doesn't have the funds for a wing or section dedicated to its traditional collection, but the museum has indeed been spectacularly lazy about fundraising in the community. When is the last time you heard of a major fundraising outreach from the AK, like the ones that every other cultural institution has to do? They don't do it--they lament the lack of money in town (which is not true) and then make changes to their own directives to justify their new vision, which has about as much freshness and knowledge behind it as the Fisher-Price Toy Museum.

The AK is what it is--a shrinking entertainment venue. It will remain a pleasant place for brunch and for its permanent collection, when you can find it. But until they get more discriminating arbiters of talent (and better writers), it will remain a stunted place. What Buffalo needs is a new museum for an expansive view of art, not a suffocating sensibility that circles art into periods, the way the AK does. No serious artist thinks in terms of modern or traditional, but the AK has forgotten the meaning of timeless. We need a museum that houses the timeless, and the money I had planned to give to the AK I will happily give to that venture when it arrives.

EricOak, is it wrong for me to think that you are just a nostalgic person and that maybe you always see a culture that is losing its substance in favor of something new and cheap? Am I being unfair?-- because when I hear these comments that ask for "period" or classical architecture and art and then Chris69/L rants about the Jews, abortion, gays or illegal immigrants-- I can't help but think that these positions are linked and reflect a fear of change or a fear of new things.

At the moment I'm living in Brooklyn which is filled with neophiles and it sometimes seems like everyone is either a DJ, photographer and/or blogger. It can seem pretentious at times but it also feels very fertile and Buffalo also has a much smaller version of this culture as you probably know. I would think that an effort by the A-K to focus on introducing the latest in art and design works to cultivate a creative and more experimental sensibility locally. Its unclear to me how an emphasis on antiques and classical art would support other efforts to make Buffalo a more fertile and more relevant place for creative people wanting to experiment.

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