The controlling shareholders of Bonhams recently sold their stake in the auction house to Epiris, a British private equity firm, which quickly brought on additional management. As a former director, I am encouraged by this new infusion of financial support and executive leadership. However, I believe the challenges in expanding market share for any auction house are structurally endemic to the industry and are not easily overturned by a fresh infusion of capital and personnel alone.
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In the New York Times (“The Art World’s Elephant in the Room” 9/21/2018), Scott Reyburn recently suggests that Bonhams is an auction house “whose business model has (so far) relied on traditional lower and middle range art and antiques.”  In Reyburn’s view, this market is languishing as an effect of growing income inequality, as the wealthy seek ever more expensive prizes, leaving the sub-$50,000 marketplace bereft of buyers and liquidity.

After 5 years at the helm of the Museum Trustee Association (MTA) Mary Baily Wieler has announced her intention to step down as the organization's President in Spring 2019 and will assist in this transition of leadership. MTA's Board of Directors has retained Management Consultants for the Arts, Inc. (MCA) to initiate a national search for Wieler's replacement. 

MTA's mission of enhancing museum trustee effectiveness and its programmatic offerings have expanded under Wieler's leadership. Since 2013 membership has tripled and industry partnerships have increased. Semi-annual Forums where trustees gather to exchange information and best practices have achieved record attendance and MTA’s website is a recognized source of free content for trustees everywhere. The Association is well-positioned to build on its momentum. 

Wieler states, "For the last decade I've lived MTA's good governance mission as a board member, chair, and more recently as President. I am truly proud of our accomplishments working together as a team, including the Association's growth across the Americas, our commitment to building engaged, informed, and responsible museum boards, as well as the launch of MTA's template series utilizing cloud-based software making best practices accessible and affordable to the museum field." 

MTA Board Chairman Lee Peterson comments, "I am confident in expressing our Board's collective appreciation for the leadership Mary has provided internally to MTA, as well as representing our trustee leadership in regional and national organizations. Thanks to Mary's passionate guidance, MTA is positioned for continued growth in membership and trustee influence nationally. The Board will celebrate Mary at our Spring Forum in Phoenix.” 

​Please direct all inquiries to Bill Appleton (MCA) at mcaappleton@gmail.com. 

A corkscrewing creation in the Arizona desert, the David and Gladys Wright House boasts an impressive pedigree. Built in 1952, this three-bedroom nautilus of a home, designed by architecture icon Frank Lloyd Wright for his son, is one of a handful of rounded designs that foreshadows the contours of the Guggenheim Museum.

It seemed like a shoo-in for preservation, especially after local lawyer Zach Rawling purchased the home for $2.4 million in 2012, saving it from the wrecking ball. Rawling had grand plans to create a museum and wedding venue, and despite neighborhood resistance to having a new cultural institution down the block, he seemed on the verge of success.

There were even plans announced last summer to donate the home to the School of Architecture at Taliesin, which Wright founded, turning the residence into a “living laboratory” and reconnecting it with the architect’s legacy.

That plan fell through last month. Rawling and Taliesin struggled with fundraising—Rawling needed to raise $7 million by 2020 for the agreement to work—and without financial support, the home again returned to the open market, asking $12.9 million.
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“I think it’s highly emblematic of the challenges any historic house faces,” says Liz Waytkus, executive director of Docomomo, a preservation organization focused on modern architecture. “The suggestion that a nonprofit would be able to come up with $7 million dollars ... it’s incredibly difficult, especially in the U.S., where nonprofits receive very little, if any government support.”