Sale of Bellows painting a travesty
I am writing to express my deep
disappointment with the sale of George Bellows’ painting “Men of the Docks” by
the leadership of Randolph College.
College President Bradley Bateman has
tried to put a positive spin on this travesty of the public trust, which has
been denounced by many museum professionals and the professional museum
organization that govern museums of art, as a triumphant moment in Randolph
Colleges history. Bateman’s statement that the reputation of Randolph College
will benefit from its sale of this American masterpiece to the National Gallery
of London proves the arrogance and ignorance of his actions.
The Maier Museum is a Lynchburg
treasure, and the sale of this painting has diminished the lives of all the
residents of our city. I can only hope
that the arts community of Lynchburg will react with one voice in the face of
this despicable act and place immense pressure on the leadership of Randolph
College to forgo any further sales of the Maier’s collection.
America and Lynchburg have lost an
irreplaceable part of their history and Randolph College has discarded its
values and dishonored the memory of the students and alumni who raised the
funds and donated the painting to the college so many years ago.
What a shame the sale of “Men of the
Docks” has been, for now our residents — and especially our children — will
never again have the opportunity to be inspired by this amazing painting.
MARK DAY
Lynchburg
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