In my essay about the Louvre Abu Dhabi I would like to elaborate on certain issues such as the move from a public institution to a more private environment. This movement questions museum ethics which can be found on the website of the International Committee of Museums (ICOM). 2.16 of the Code of Ethics can be of interest when talking about the disposal or deaccessioning of cultural heritage. It states that:
Museum collections are held in public trust and may not be treated as a realisable asset. Money or compensation received from the deaccessioning and disposal of objects and specimens from a museum collection should be used solely for the benefit of the collection and usually for acquisitions to that same collection.Also, I have found articles on the internet and in hard-copy which concern particular topics on which I will focus on in my essay, such as cultural tourism, deaccessioning, and the influence of the French government on cultural institutions.
The Guggenheim can be seen as the professional in the development of satellite museums, such as Bilbao and Las Vegas. It is obvious that the Louvre is trying to level with this tendency within museum policy. In my view, one major aspect in the comparison with the Guggenheim and the Louvre can not be ignored: the Louvre is founded on national heritage, and does not have a private collection like the Guggenheim. In this respect, the Louvre has to consider a delicate issue, namely the public’s trust.