This is a current scandal throughout the curatorial professions. Not counting "Goering Provenance"(think you got troubles?) and "Elgin Marbles,"(a true case of safekeeping), there's been screaming and shouting at great art museums about de-accessioning, deliberate bad valuations (both high and low: choose your scandal), and whether donors and loaners have any say about display, interpretation and even the location of their art pieces. SNM is not alone in this, and is probably above average.
Here's one that made me wince & giggle. My local museum (rated top 10) had an exhibit of textile constructions--you know, quilts. Research for the coffee-table book that always goes with these things revealed that a prominent businessman who died in the 20's (described as "flamboyant") had bequeathed his personally-acquired collection of folk quilts. Folk quilts were not considered art in the 20's, or even the 50's. After a pregnant and poignant pause in the news, museum sources tersely stated they had been de-accessioned. Then the retired volunteers and docents started speaking up. They had, in fact, been used to cover things in the basement, taken home by custodians, and, well, thrown away. The classically-educated, then later, tragically-hip and ubersophisticated experts, were embarrassed by having the darned things around ('Darned,' get it?). And yep, if they'd kept them in mothballs, they'd now be worth more than some of the Matisse cut-outs they so lovingly scrapbooked. Veritably, the Lark Six Regal of museum art.
Even more Studebaker: They loaned out Goya's "Children with a Cart" to the Guggenheim in New York. Packed it up, put it in a truck, stayed at a motel in Stroudsburg, and the truck got broke into. The Goya is underinsured at a million. After ten days, the thieves gave it back! No bling, no light bulbs, no Elvis on velvet, what's it good for? (I used to leave my Rocket III outside the bar with the key in the switch, secure in the knowledge that no one would steal it. Boy, that bike had beautiful mufflers. You could see the oil spot reflected in them.)
I don't see any reason we shouldn't blame the education system, Bush, and gays at Disneyland. Looks like the Jews are free and clear on this one, though.