Museum Depot Shop - 'Here you can find beautiful paintings straight from the museum'
March 26 2024
Picture: museumdepotshop.nl
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's an interesting initiative I had never heard of until yesterday. The Museum Depot Shop is an organisation from the Netherlands which allows museums to sell deaccessioned objects via their website. The blurb on the website is specifically geared towards people looking for unique gifts, from the museum into the home. It appears that museums can either sell works from their collections openly, giving their name, or be classed as a 'Mystery Museum'. The 'collection' thus far is filled mostly with prints, a few paintings and odds and ends, with prices ranging from a few tens of euros up to just under a thousand.
According to one page on their website (which looks like it needs updating):
In the Netherlands, an increasing number of museums are working together with our foundation. After thorough research in Great Britain, the MuseumDepotShop will also enter the British market. In November 2019 and January 2020, we visited London and spoke with roughly 20 museums and related institutions. We concluded from these conversations that there is a need for an online platform in Great Britain such as the one already in operation in the Netherlands. Do you also want to meet with us?
Is this the future of museum income generation? All comments welcome, as always!
