A Pennsylvania university is the latest in a series of universities in the United States, balancing its books by selling its art collections. Albright College, a Reading liberal arts institution, has invested more than 500 pieces of its collection into online sales at Pook & Pook Inc, an auction house in Downingtown, Pennsylvania.
The college follows Fisk University, Brandeis University, Valparaiso University, Randolph College, Rockford College and Mills College, and sends artworks to the auction area. Albright’s move sparked protests from some collectors who donated art to the university.
The sales, titled “Fine Arts of East Coast Educational Institutions”, is scheduled to take place on July 16 and includes 524 batches. These include works by Bridget Riley, Jasper Johns, Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence, while books and posters are also for sale.
Albright Vice President of Executive James Gaddy told Art newspaper “We need to stop bleeding.” He confirmed that the college has increased its deficit by $20 million over the past two years. Gaddy called himself and Albright’s president Debra Townsley “turning experts”, adding that the academy’s 2,300-person art collection is “not the core of our mission” education and is much more valuable than art.
Lynn Pasquerella, president of the American Association of Universities and Universities, told Sepia “For years, universities and universities have been selling their art to raise funds, and over the past few years, we will certainly upgrade.”
Gady said the value of the work in online auctions was “not extraordinary” and estimated to be worth $200,000. He added that the cost of galleries for art displays exceeds $500,000 per year.
Given Albright’s financial situation, sales won’t be too much of a deal. The college has abandoned more than 50 salaried employees, accounting for about 20% of the college’s total workforce, saving its operating costs for $1.7 million per month. Albright also sold “properties that are not continuous with campus.” These include apartment buildings.
Gadi told Sepia The current enrollment of 1,100 students is planned to increase to 1,600 over the next five years, the same number of students in pre-university colleges.
Since Donald Trump walked into the White House for the second time earlier this year, his administration has cut funding for higher education. In June, the Republican administration outlined its vision to avoid the U.S. Department of Education. The budget proposal for the fiscal year 2026 requires a 15% cut in funding, as well as several changes to higher education programs.
In Pennsylvania alone, at least 10 institutions have been closed in the past decade due to the fiscal crisis. These include Rosemount College, Philadelphia University of the Arts and Pittsburgh Technical College. Since 2016, 126 educational institutions have been forced to merge to survive. Advanced diving.
Phillip Earenfight, Board Member of the Association of Academic Museums and Gallery (AAMG) of Dickinson College Sepia “Pennsylvania competes too much in academia.”
“They can’t all attract enough students. They compete in an environment where they can’t survive,” he said.
Albright’s collection was built from multiple sources, but most came from the late New York art dealer Alex Rosenberg and the late Doris C. Freeman, director of the New York Public Art Foundation. The works were placed in the Academy’s Doris C. Freedman’s gallery, whose purpose was to “create a space where art will flourish, a space where students and communities interact with art,” the donor’s three daughters (Susan, Karen and Nina) sent to the college’s attorneys, a letter from the donor’s three daughters. They added: “The decision to monetize the Freedman Gallery art collection at Albright is both short-sighted and suitable for production.
The letter asked Albright to reconsider selling the series. If the auction continues, the three daughters say they “will explore our options.”
