The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe (MKG), Hamburg, has lost the long term loan of 400 pieces of Meissen Porcelain as the owners, Horst and Dieter Hoffmeister, auction the collection to "offset their losses from the worldwide financial crisis". The collection has been on display over two rooms at the museum since 1999.
"I have not heard of this happening before. I think it sometimes happens to museums of contemporary art - a collector may take back a piece or two to sell - but not whole collections," remarked MKG press representative Michaela Hille. The collection is worth an estimated 14 million euro.
(Full article from LiveAuctioneers here)
