The Association of Art Museum Directors is calling on members to help punish two museums accused of selling art for unacceptable purposes.

AAMD's board of trustees voted May 25 to sanction the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass., and La Salle University Art Museum in Philadelphia. AAMD said its 243 members should not lend artworks to the two museums, borrow works from them or collaborate on exhibitions.

Both museums reportedly plan to use art sale funds to support operating budgets or expansion initiatives. This "violates one of the core principles of art museums," according to AAMD.

"Selling art to support any need other than to build a museum's collection fundamentally undermines the critically important relationships between museums, donors and the public," AAMD said in a news release.

Carol Bosco Baumann, a spokesperson for the Berkshire Museum, told The New York Times that the institution's survival was on the line.

"The possibility of sanctions was carefully considered by the board when deciding whether to deaccession any works to secure and sustain the museum's future," she said in an email to the Times. "We determined then and strongly believe now that to protect our most important asset—the museum's open doors—it was necessary." https://nyti.ms/2kziisQ

The museum announced last summer it would sell 40 artworks from its collection, including pieces by Norman Rockwell. In April, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art announced it purchased Rockwell's painting "Shuffleton's Barbershop." The Lucas Museum, founded by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, is to open in 2022 in South Los Angeles.

La Salle University Art Museum announced plans in January to sell 46 artworks to fund new educational initiatives.

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