Settlement keeps Brandeis art museum open

[July 02, 2011]  WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) -- A settlement has been reached that will keep the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University open with its collection intact.

Museum supporters filed a lawsuit in 2009, several months after then-Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz announced that the school planned to close the museum and sell off an estimated $350 million in artwork in response to a university budget crisis. He later clarified that the Rose would no longer be a public museum, but would remain open to serve the school's educational needs.

The settlement reached on Thursday will allow the Rose to move forward with a renovation, hire a new director and plan future exhibits.

Current Brandeis president Frederick Lawrence told The Boston Globe he welcomed the settlement.

A plaintiff in the case, Jonathan Lee, said the deal guarantees that the museum's collection will not be "shuffled off."

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.boston.com/globe/

[Associated Press]

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