To the editor:
As a resident of Savoy since 1971, an arts professional, educator and past chair of the Illustration Department at Parsons School of Design (1991-2004), (now Parsons The New School for Design), I am a frequent visitor to the Berkshire Museum and know how important it is for people to see the original paintings of artists. Why would the museum that says it wants to collect and represent regional artists decide to sell off and remove generations of New England area artists such as Albert Bierstadt, Alexander Calder, Frederick Church, George Henry Durrie, George Inness, Tom Patti, Norman Rockwell and others. They are the leading figures in their respective fields.
The museum has disappointed my children, my grandchildren, my husband and me. The loss of works by Modernists Vuillard, Picabia, Moore and Dufy, artists that still influence our time, makes the Berkshire Museum poor, not rich. These works are teaching examples for all ages, and for the visitor interested in all art forms. Great art is timeless.
Barbara Nessim
New York, N.Y.,
Savoy,
The writer is a well-known American artist, illustrator, digital art pioneer and educator.