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.

---

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

I tried to deaccession her from this story, to put her out of my mind, but I couldn't.

From Salon • Oct. 19, 2022

The board of the National Gallery of Art voted to deaccession its bronze fowl in May 2020 and is still working to complete the process.

From Washington Post • May 11, 2022

UCLA’s thoughtful plan to deaccession the Picasso to benefit future acquisitions is exemplary, while the Met’s monetizing is dangerously crass.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 18, 2021

“I want to avoid any misconception that, because we have some added priorities, that makes us deaccession works to achieve those goals,” he added.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2021

The BMA paused a sale of artworks that could have violated deaccession rules.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2020