deaccession

American  

[dee-ak-sesh-uhn] / ˌdi ækˈsɛʃ ən /

Or de-accession

verb (used with object)

1. to sell (a work of art) from a museum's or gallery's collections, especially with a view to acquiring funds for the purchase of other works.

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verb (used without object)

1. to deaccession a work of art from a museum's or gallery's collections.

noun

1. a deaccessioned work of art.

Etymology

Origin of deaccession

First recorded in 1970–75; de- + accession

Example Sentences

Restricted funds can include money raised through the deaccession and sale of art donated to a museum’s collection.

From Los Angeles Times

This is a bit of a switch for Tefaf, the grand old art fair started in Maastricht, the Netherlands, which started off as a place to buy deaccessioned museum pieces and bona fide old masters.

From New York Times

When public art is deaccessioned, Clark explained, it legally has to be destroyed, so she sought permission from those artists to reuse some of their materials in “What You Have Become.”

From Seattle Times

Schools typically court controversy when they announce they will sell artworks to raise funds, an act known as deaccessioning.

From New York Times

The British Museum is prevented by law from "deaccessioning" items in its collection.

From BBC