Splicetoday

Pop Culture
Feb 27, 2009, 04:40AM

Cash is king

Though the Association of Art Museum Directors forbids lending art for the express purpose of profit, it's looking the other way as more and more museums struggle financially.

Vegas, baby:

The latest: The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is currently renting art from its collection to the "Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art," a space in Las Vegas' Bellagio hotel-and-casino. The presentation will be on view through Sept. 7.

The MCASD is the third museum to allow a commercial entity the opportunity to make money off of its collection by renting it to the casino-based gallery. The Phillips Collection pioneered the collection-goes-to-Vegas model in 2000 by splitting admissions revenue with the Bellagio -- and AAMD looked the other way. The MFA Boston took the concept a step further by accepting over $1 million from PaceWildenstein's PaperBall subsidiary in return for sending 21 Monets (and later other paintings) to the Bellagio. Each time Boston rented out art to a commercial entity, AAMD shrugged.

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