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L.A. museum reverses decision on sale of ancient Indian sculpture

An ancient Indian sculpture quietly consigned for sale in a New York gallery by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art will be returned to the museum, LACMA Director Michael Govan said, as the museum reconsiders policies on the perpetually controversial issue of such "de-accessions."

"I'm very conservative on de-accessioning," Govan said in a telephone interview Thursday. "LACMA's existing policies are standard. You may see those policies change in the future — you will probably see them get tighter — but that will take serious consultation with curators and members of the board."

Govan said the turnabout on the Indian work came in response to questions about the propriety of the sale raised earlier this week by retired LACMA curator Pratapaditya Pal, a leading scholar of Indian art.
Read entire article at Los Angeles Times