Dear Friends, this is not a victory yet, but the very first little step towards it. Earlier today NGC broke silence and confirmed that they had decided to sell Mar Chagall's painting in order to purchase 18th century neoclassical painting by Jaques-Louis David "St. Gerome Hears Trumpets of the Judgement Day" that belongs to the Notre-Dame of Quebec. Unfortunately, this newsletter (please check the link) still doesn't help to understand why and how this decision was made and causes even more question than before. Please read my points below and share your ideas as I'll be using them in my communications with the museum officials, MPs and the Heritage Minister. Thank you! There is one good thing about this release. And this is that there will be no rumors any more, that we know exactly what "important art piece of the Canadian heritage" NGC would like to acquire. However, there are many bad or pending things about this explanation. 1. "In July 2016 the Assemblée de fabrique de Notre-Dame de Québec offered Saint Jerome to three leading Canadian museums, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the Musée national des beaux-arts du Quebec, and the National Gallery of Canada." Why was not the release issued in 2016 when the price and timing would have been more favorable for the Canadian museum officials and public to decide and find ways to buy it out from Notre-Dame de Quebec? 2. "The price of Saint Jerome would have largely depleted our acquisition allotment, compromising our five other collecting areas for an entire year." What is the price? And if NGC has not been able to use annual 8 mln funding to purchase "St Jerome" since 2016 (!), who can guarantee that we will be able to purchase it using USD 6-9 mln minus commissions to the Christie's Auction House after Chagall's "La Tour de Eiffel" will have been sold? 3. "...the Gallery also learned from two foreign museums that they had been approached to gauge their interest in acquiring the David." What are these museums? We need names. What are their bids? We would like to know the amounts. Where are guarantees of their serious intentions? Otherwise, it sounds just as a another very weak leverage tool and almost a blackmailing argument to promote NGC's not-popular and, let's be honest, wrong decision. 4. "Four months ago, The Eiffel Tower was offered at fair market to more than 150 art museums across Canada. Since no museum or gallery responded to the Gallery’s offer, we entrusted the Chagall to Christie’s, the auction house that we believed was best placed to help us obtain the highest return on the sale." Four months ago was pre-Christmas time and many-days vacations for everybody, including Government, museums officials and even NGC that was closed for operations in January 2018. Thus, we're literally talking about very short period of time - 2-3 months - when the Canadian arts professionals were aware of this opportunity to purchase Chagall's painting and keep it in one of the Canadian museums. This is not sufficient time period to make a conclusion that nobody would like to purchase it and allow people to discuss how to purchase it. There were no attempts done to start a crowdfunding campaign and gather funds to buy out David without selling Chagall. 5. "Saint Jerome Hears the Trumpet of the Last Judgment requires significant restoration. Our state-of-the-art conservation laboratories and our team of picture restorers are superbly qualified to bring this national treasure back to its former glory." This is a crucial point and makes it especially critical and important not to allow deaccessioning "St. Jerome" from Notre-Dame de Quebec and Canada, because when it leaves Canada, nobody knows who, where and how will take care of it. The best solution would be to find a way at a very high level with the Parliament decision if needed to keep David's work, "nationwide treasure", in the hands of the Canadian restoration specialists. 6. The following paragraph sounds as a very pragmatical, materialistic and absolutely far from the concepts of Arts, Culture, Heritage and History of any civilized society. "Nothing personal, just business!" As if we're talking about bags of potatoes but not worldwide known artistic masterpieces. Why do we need a bag of potatoes when we already have one. I'm afraid that there are only 2 key words in the entire press release - "healthy market". And as I tried asking before, what else from our museums and lives will be good for some "healthy market" tomorrow? "In December 2017 our Board of Trustees voted to de-accession and sell The Eiffel Tower by Marc Chagall, a picture we purchased in 1956. In 1970 the Gallery was given Memories of Childhood, an earlier work by Chagall, which is more appropriate in the context of our strong collection of modernist works than The Eiffel Tower. Given the healthy market for works by Chagall, the staff, the Board and its external advisors, a group of five art historians, believed that it was the surest way to raise enough money to purchase the Saint Jerome within the given timeframe." 7. The last paragraph just confirms my worst assumptions, that nobody cares neither about David's or Chagall's masterpieces. The only NGC's goal right now are "the proceeds"and this is bad because $$$ signs seem more important to the museum officials than interests of the culture and public opinion. That's why this transaction should be stopped and revised! "Even if the Musée de la civilisation purchases Saint Jerome, the sale of The Eiffel Tower will proceed as per the rigorous de-accession process. The proceeds from the sale will be used to improve the national collection and, especially, to strengthen Canada’s ability to protect its patrimony from exportation, a challenge it will surely face again."