Are We There Yet?
WHYY's blog, The Sixth Square, reports that Philly's Mayor Street has dropped his efforts to designate Eakin's The Gross Clinic as an Historic Object. Noting in No "Historic Object" Nomination that:
A few weeks ago, Mayor John Street said he wanted to designate The Gross Clinic as an “historic object” using an untested and controversial ordinance. Today, we hear that the City has withdrawn that nomination, days before a debate scheduled at The Philadelphia Historical Commission.
What could this mean?
Could designation have required the painting to remain at Jefferson– making a move to another venue in Philadelphia downright illegal? Could it be that this announcement foreshadows another announcement that the painting is headed up the steps at Fairmount?
What does it mean? Along with the countdown to Christmas is the deadline to raise the $68 Million to keep the Gross Clinic in Philly. See The Clinic Sale is Gross and Sans Eakins Gallery.
The latest update on fundraising from Art Museum, Keep Eakins, is that of the "$68 million [that] must be raised by December 26—donations to date total 40% of that goal."
The Philadelphia Inquirer has hinted that the fundraising goal may be close, in Mayor drops new 'Gross Clinic' status, adding:
Mayor Street has withdrawn his nomination of The Gross Clinic for designation as a protected historic object - just days before a deadline that would see Thomas Eakins' monumental painting leave the city following sale to two out-of-town museums.
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"Our understanding is that the fund-raising is really moving along," said Joe Grace, Street's spokesman. "The mayor wanted to remove designation as an issue."
"We want to allow folks to focus on fund-raising," he said.
"We are totally focused on the December deadline," said Anne d'Harnoncourt, director and chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. "I'm optimistic. I can't really go into any more detail. Things are moving very fast."
With the deadline to keep The Gross Clinic in the city just five days away, almost half the $68 million needed to buy the painting has been raised, according to two Philadelphia Museum of Art board members.
Firm contributions now total about $30 million, they said.
Based upon the tenor of the last Inky article, I would have thought that they were further ahead. Hopefully they have a number of donations close to commitment stage or it will be Good bye to the Gross.
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