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Mass. AG Looks To Extend Berkshire Museum Injunction By A Week

The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass.
Berkshire Museum
/
Creative Commons
The Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Mass.

The Massachusetts attorney general wants a state appeals court to extend an injunction blocking the Berkshire Museum from selling off a bunch of its art. The injunction was set to expire Monday.

The AG's office said it's looking for a "way forward" to settle the matter, and wants an additional week to "fully analyze" the findings of its investigation into the planned art auction.

“We are hopeful that a brief extension will allow us to fully analyze the information we have received in our investigation in the hope of finding a way forward to secure the future of the Museum, and ensure it is able to thrive in the years to come," said Emily Snyder, a spokeswoman for Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey. 

The filing also says the Berkshire Museum's attorneys do not oppose the request.

That's a major shift, as for months, representatives of the museum warned delaying the sale threatened its future.

The museum has been looking to sell part of its art collection, including two paintings by Norman Rockwell, to boost its endowment and fund renovations. 

"The museum accepts the attorney general’s request for a brief postponement, but remains eager to see these issues resolved to secure the future of the Berkshire Museum for all it provides its visitors, young and old, in art, history, and science," a museum spokeswoman said Monday.

In November, three days before a scheduled auction at Sotheby's in New York City, a Massachusetts appeals court agreed to block the sale.

Copyright 2018 New England Public Media

Adam is based at New England Public Radio’'s Berkshire County news bureau in Pittsfield, where he has been since August, 2015. He joined NEPR as a freelance reporter and fill-in operations assistant during the summer of 2011. For more than 15 years, Adam has had a number stops throughout his broadcast career, including as a news reporter and anchor, sports host and play-by-play announcer as well as a producer and technician.

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