[MSN] College's artful move seems more like a targeted heist. In the old days, art thieves would sneak into a museum after hours, hold the director at bay, then back up a truck and abscond with the treasures.

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College's artful move seems more like a targeted heist
 
Thursday, Oct 04, 2007 - 12:08 AM Updated: 10:49 AM
 
By RAY MCALLISTER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
In the old days, art thieves would sneak into a museum after hours, hold the
director at bay, then back up a truck and abscond with the treasures.

Meet the new days.

Nearly the same as the old days.

Randolph College, the former Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Lynchburg,
seemed to sink to a new low Monday with its just-before-5 p.m. removal of
its own artwork.

It's not as if Randolph is in need of controversy.

Admitting male students this fall and deciding to sell off paintings from
its historic collection were wrenching decisions for the college and its
alumni. The college insists both are necessary for its bottom line.

But details about the actual removal of four major paintings from the Maier
Museum of Art, which were trucked off to a New York auction house, make it
sound like an art heist.

A police officer told passers-by the area was blocked for a bomb threat.
Movers came in and removed the paintings. Meanwhile, the unhappy director
chose to sit in her office rather than help remove the paintings. Two
college officials remained nearby, and her computer and phone access were
taken away to thwart outside communication. The college president barred
another employee from entering the building.

Has the Mafia taken over the school?

The false bomb threat was apparently the invention of a lone Lynchburg
police officer, a police captain told the Lynchburg News & Advance.

College President John E. Klein and a spokeswoman insisted yesterday that no
skullduggery had taken place.

Klein said he had told museum director Karol Lawson something like this
might happen. When the school's board of trustees voted Monday to sell
paintings valued at $32 million to $45.5 million, he had to act quickly.
Christie's auction house needed them that very day to qualify for a November
auction, he said.

But why not tell Lawson and the staff the move was coming?

Why cut off her communications with the outside world?

"It had been made quite clear by both the director and the staff that they
were not in favor of selling any paintings," Klein said.

So they weren't trusted?

"There was a concern in general about security," Klein said.

Lawson, who resigned Tuesday, said yesterday that the college's actions "are
completely antithetical to every tenet of the museum profession."

Among the paintings is one of the college's pride and joys, George Bellows'
1912 "Men of the Docks," valued at $25 million to $35 million. It was the
museum's first piece, acquired in 1920 for $2,500, most of it collected by
students, professors, alumni and townspeople.

Lawson said artwork is held in trust for the community. "Selling works of
art to pay for general operating monies is completely at odds with the code
of ethics that I follow as a museum professional."

Randolph College is caught in a bitter fight with many of its alumni over
admitting men and selling its historic paintings.

The ham-handedness of Monday's move only made things worse. 


Contact Ray at (804) 649-6333 or rmcallister at timesdispatch.com. His column
runs Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and is online at www.inRich.com,
keyword "columnists". Responses may be printed from time to time.