New: Why Bankrupt Detroit Should Sell Off its Art Masterpieces

Detroit is
bankrupt, with billions of dollars in obligations it can’t meet.
One of the most controversial proposals is to sell of most or all
of the city’s holdings in The Detroit Institute of Arts, which
houses works by Bruegel, Picasso, Van Gogh and others that are
valued at as much as $866 million.

Reason’s Nick Gillespie says that Motown should unload its
trove, especially if the city wants people to actually see the
stuff.

Building a future around a slogan
like Detroit: Come for the Bankruptcy but Stay
for the Bruegel is no way to resurrect a city
whose population peaked back in
1950….

Selling off Detroit’s enviable art collection thus
represents a truly rare win-win on public policy: The city will get
much-needed cash that might help it reboot itself, and museums in
places that are thriving will be able to add to their offerings.
Nobody in their right mind would think of denying Motown residents
the right to flee the city in search of a brighter future. It
shouldn’t really be any different for works by Rodin, Bernini, or
Whistler.

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