Delaware Art Museum Pulls Notable Piece, Raising Questions About Sale

The Delaware Art Museum has removed a notable sculpture from its galleries and its collections database, raising questions about whether it is being put up for sale, according to The News Journal.

“Black Crescent,” a mobile by artist Alexander Calder, is no longer hanging in the museum, its CEO, Mike Miller, confirmed. He declined to say whether it was being sold.

In March, the museum announced it would sell up to four works of art to shore up its finances. The museum is trying to raise $30-million to cover construction costs dating back to 2005 and to buttress its endowment.

Another piece from the museum’s collection, a pre-Raphaelite painting titled “Isabella and the Pot of Basil” by artist William Holman Hunt, will be auctioned off at Christie’s in London later this month. While the museum has declined to name other pieces that might be up for sale, a painting “Milking Time” by Winslow Homer, has also been removed from display.