PEC Update, May 29, 2008

Last night, the Rufino Tamayo painting "Troubadour," donated to Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1949 by art patron Stephen Clarke, was sold by Randolph College for $7.2 million. The painting set a new world auction record for Latin American art - unsurprising given that the head of Latin American art for Christie's, the auction house that handled the sale, has described the painting as "...one of those things you only see once in a generation."

It is truly a pity that the trustees of Randolph College have deprived the students and the larger community of such an important and significant educational and cultural resource.

By pushing ahead with the auction mere weeks before the expected Virginia Supreme Court ruling in the charitable trust appeal, Randolph College officials have shown that they not only lack respect for Randolph-Macon Woman's College and its history, but also have no respect for Virginia's justice system.

We are optimistic that the Supreme Court's ruling will call into question whether Randolph College has the legal authority to sell anything belonging to Randolph-Macon Woman's College, including art from the Maier Museum.

The inability of future students to study Tamayo's masterpiece is a serious loss that will not be mitigated by a new $5 million track and field facility. Sadly, priorities at 2500 Rivermont Avenue continue to deviate from the values of Randolph-Macon Woman's College and its tradition of academic excellence.

Only a decision in favor of the plaintiffs can permanently halt the trustees' unethical behavior and prevent any additional harm being done to one of the finest college museum art collections in the country and to the college itself.

We will update you on the Supreme Court decision as soon as we hear anything from the Court.

Vita Abundantior,

PEC Board

Diane U. Montgomery (R-MWC '85)
Carol Curcio Lang (R-MWC '68)
Anne Yastremski (R-MWC '05)
Madeline Miller (R-MWC '66)

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