View on Canadian Art

“There is a danger that potential donors may send significant items or whole collections out of the country.”

Collectors have long donated works of art to galleries and museums, receiving a tax break on the appraised value of the work in return. This can be lucrative if the item has increased considerably in value, and in the U.S, enthusiastic philanthropy is a primary reason for the excellent quality of museum collections.

Here in Canada, there is more reluctance to give. While that does seem to be changing, this article in the Globe and Mail draws attention to the frustrations of valuing art in an ever-changing market.

The Canadian Cultural Property Export Review Board is suffering from stagnancy and arbitrary appeals process that is discouraging collectors from donating.

“Donors say that the government wants it both ways: slashing funds for cultural institutions, urging them to go to the private sector – and then throwing obstacles in the way of potential donors.

Marc Mayer, (director of Montreal’s Musée d’art contemporain) says he was “taken aback by the process (in Canada).” In the States, the responsibility for appraisals and tax receipts lies with donors; the museum plays no part. He keeps a full-time staffer working on review-board applications. “She has to write long essays on people who are already known in the art world. And what’s the point of the ponderous third-party appraisal system if they’re going to be overturned? This is absurd.”

Read the full article HERE