Robert Storr Criticizes New Museum's Deal with Dakis Joannou

In a 2010 article for Art Press, critic Robert Storr examines the New Museum's controversial decision to exhibit works from the collection of Greek magnate Dakis Joannou, curated by Jeff Koons, who is himself represented in the collection by about forty works. Storr highlights that unlike standard American museum practice, where a significant portion of a loaned collection is donated to the institution, none of the exhibited works will enter the New Museum's permanent collection. He questions who finances the exhibition—catalog, insurance, shipping—and whether the museum has negotiated any financial restitution if works are later sold. Storr contrasts this with the museum's founding ethos under Marcia Tucker, who was ousted from the Whitney Museum in 1977 for organizing a Richard Tuttle exhibition, and notes the irony of the museum's bookstore selling critical texts on museum politics while engaging in such a deal.