Art Institute of Chicago to deaccession part of its photography collection

The Art Institute of Chicago is to deaccession part of its photography collection and sell it at auction. The museum has collected photographs as art since 1900, and for nearly 65 years the museum has pursued a vigorous acquisitions programme. Matthew S. Witkovsky, the curator of the institution’s photography department, said the sale, which is to take place this autumn through Phillips in New York and London, was however ‘essential to our progress’. He added, ‘We have spent three and a half years [assessing] our holdings, with a view to refining and diversifying the collection as well as better understanding the treasures that we possess. Proceeds from the sale will support future acquisitions’. The consignment includes work by André Kertész, Robert Frank, Henri \nCartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, Irving Penn and Robert Heinecken.