MOCA, PANZA PATCH THEIR DIFFERENCES

A headline-making wrangle between the Museum of Contemporary Art and Italian collector Count Giuseppe Panza di Biumo has been resolved peacefully after meetings between the antagonists.

In October, Panza charged that MOCA planned to sell off some of a core collection of 80 rare contemporary artworks it had purchased from him for $11 million. He suggested that the museum was in financial straits and wanted to sell works, which had increased in value since their purchase, in order to clear a profit and pay for the rest of the collection.

“It was a misunderstanding,” Panza admitted in an interview at his hotel. In town for festivities for the opening of the museum’s new building on Bunker Hill, Panza talked with museum director Richard Koshalek and key board members on Tuesday.

“I am now satisfied the museum has no intention of selling works from the collection. They realize it would be morally damaging to the institution to sell even a few works when it is the purpose of a museum to keep and preserve beautiful works for the public to see. There may have been some members of the board who favored a sale, but I think they now realize that this would damage the image of a responsible institution. The museum is going to make every effort to raise funds to pay for the works through subscriptions and donations, and I am optimistic.”

Panza’s demeanor was in marked contrast with the angry man who previously charged the museum with being “ambitious for stupid reasons” and preoccupied with devoting its energies to doing “big expensive exhibitions.”

He had suggested that MOCA had overextended itself in deciding to maintain two large exhibition spaces, the new MOCA building and the converted warehouses of Temporary Contemporary in Little Tokyo. As the name suggests, TC was originally intended as interim quarters for the museum, but it proved so popular and so suited to the display of large-scale contemporary art that MOCA obtained a 50-year dollar-a-year lease from the city.

“This is no more simply ambition,” recanted the subdued collector. “MOCA needs these beautiful spaces to display art in this city where there is so much interest in contemporary art. Aren’t the galleries in the new museum beautiful? So serene.”

The count’s turnaround came after discussion between Panza, his wife Rosa, Koshalek and three key board members, Chairman Willian Kieschnick, Vice Chairman William Nicholas and Morton Winston, who heads MOCA’s acquisitions committee. Panza said no substantive change was made in his agreement with MOCA, which basically allows the museum to pay $2 million a year without interest or, technically, without restriction on sales until its debt is paid. The museum has paid $6 million and still owes $5 million.

“Our discussions restored my confidence in the museum and its determination to retain the art,” said Panza. “Also, I believe that the money is no longer such a problem.”

Kieschnick, interviewed by telephone, denied any suggestion that an upturn in MOCA’s fortunes indicated a previous slump. “It is MOCA’s style to be bold. You have to take calculated risks, but you have to be prudent in executing them. If Panza had not wisely made special conditions on our purchase in the beginning, we could not have made the initial steps.”

Kieschnick said he felt the long face-to-face meeting had calmed Panza’s concerns as did an explanation of the improving fortunes of MOCA.

“We like to measure our progress in how much we raise between monthly board meetings. It has been around $1 million. Last month it was $2 million. I sensed that Panza could see the increase opportunity here as the museum gains acceptance.”

MOCA officials maintained from the beginning that they had no intention of selling anything from the collection. Purchased in 1984, the works concentrate on nine artists in groups of related objects mainly dating from around 1955-65, including such now-renown Americans as Franz Kline, Mark Rothko, Robert Rauschenberg, Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist and George Segal plus lesser-known Europeans Antonio Tapies and Jean Fautrier. It is the backbone of MOCA’s growing permanent collection.

The museum’s initial protestations of innocence in the affair seemed to be contradicted by confidential minutes of MOCA board meetings leaked to the press. These clearly documented plans for the sale of Panza collection works. But they were characterized by board member Winston as worst-case-scenario contingency options framed by the trustees as a prudent hedge against the possibility of hard times, the nightmare of every nonprofit institution dependent on charitable donations for support.

Koshalek, reached by telephone in the midst of frantic activity surrounding the museum opening, said he thought an explanation of such plans to Panza had gone far to clear the air.

“In state-supported European museums, there is no need for such discussions. I think we made it clear to Count Panza that in the States they are a part of the thinking of every responsible nonprofit institution.

“I think he was also encouraged, as we are, by the fact that all aspects of our funding campaign are going so well. Our membership is pushing 28,000 and our campaign of annual giving where people pledge between $25 and $250 annually to the museum brought in $50,000 over our target figure. I think it’s all happening because of the excitement around opening the new building. We are now recognized. People don’t talk about a ‘fledgling’ museum anymore.”