Biography & Early Wealth Journey

ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images

The museum's decision to let go of these three works of art is not without controversy. The above mentioned LA Times op-ed calls it a violation of all acceptable practices for "deaccessioning," the process by which a museum liquidates pieces within its permanent collection. It's said to be motivated by greed without accounting for the public ramifications of moving such works into the hands of a private collector, especially since one of the paintings is by Brice Marden, a still living artist – which is almost unheard of. The move is so controversial that 23 of the museum's biggest financial supporters as well as an additional 150 signatories have delivered an open letter calling for the impending sale to be canceled. But it isn't known as yet if the efforts to cancel the sales will do any good.