Can I ensure when I leave my collection to a museum or gallery that it is not going to be sold to pay the museum's debts? 

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Many collectors form their collections for their personal enjoyment and education. Having spent a lifetime, and often a fortune, collecting, some collectors decide to sell off their collections to allow others to benefit from the enjoyment of collecting and owning their treasures. However, many collectors feel that the value of their collection is not in individual pieces but in the collection itself- they give their collection to a public gallery or museum for us all to enjoy.

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The decision to make such charitable donations may be subject to more concern in the last few years because of high profile instances of museums and galleries removing art and antiquities from their collections (deaccessioning) and selling them off, often at public auction, for example, the Berkshire Museum, Massachusetts, USA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art which is presently selling off Chinese Art from The Florence and Herbert Irving Gift less than four years after receiving it. Such sales have been justified because the institution questions the need for the item because of its condition, authenticity or appropriateness for the collection. The funds generated have been used for new acquisitions, new buildings, or, what has most heavily been criticized, to pay the running costs and debts of the institution.

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This talk will consider some of these issues, when museums may sell items from their collections, and how collectors considering generous donation of their collections to public institutions may be able to prevent such further sales, or at least limit them.

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The lecture will be followed up by a conversation with Ms Jessica Park, who will share her insights on the collections left by the collectors, drawing from experiences in Will writing and Estate management. We invite attending guests to join the conversation in a Q&A session.

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About the Speakers

Professor Steven Gallagher, Associate Dean, Faculty of Law, CUHK
Steven has taught equity and trusts, land law, company law, insolvency law and cultural heritage law. His research interests include cultural heritage, legal history and equity. He is currently researching issues in cultural heritage law in Asia.

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Jessica Park TEP,  Founder, Director, Will Writer, Professional Wills Limited

Jessica has lived in Hong Kong since 1958 and set up and owned
Security Systems Ltd, a leading HK security company which she operated
for 33 years.  Following the successful sale of SS to G4S in 2006 Jessica applied her entrepreneurial spirit to a new endeavour - establishing and operating one of HK’s few entities whose exclusive focus is Will Writing and Estate Planning.

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Jessica has led the team at PWL in obtaining the proper qualifications to ensure the best service to the company’s clients.  She is qualified in Wills and Estate Planning via The Institute of Professional Will Writers and the Society of Will Writers.  She is TEP qualified (Trust and Estate Planning Practitioner) as a member of STEP (Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners).  STEP’s moto is ‘Advising Families across the Generations’. Outside of the office - Jessica was a rescue helicopter pilot with the Royal HK Auxiliary Air Force – retiring from that after 24 years of flying in 1994.  She tries to hike whenever possible, play golf or a good game of chess.  She has once again taken up flying, obtaining her
PPL (for the second time) and has her own light aircraft based in the UK.  When work allows, she spends leisure time flying around the UK and Europe – co-piloted by her wonderful wife Tana.