DENVER — The city's auditor said he's still not sure if the Denver Art Museum is properly keeping track of city-owned art nearly three years after an audit pointed out that very problem.
Denver Auditor Timothy O'Brien said art ownership and sales are getting a ton of scrutiny around the world, which is why Denver should know which art it owns. According to an update, the city's office said they don't have that answer.
"It's about accountability and transparency, and I think that's what we're trying to do," O'Brien said.
In 2021 O'Brien released an audit that shared 22 recommendations for the Denver Art Museum, and the city and the museum agreed upon 21 of them. The big problems centered around ownership and the city's relationship with the museum.
O'Brien pointed out the agreement between the two lacks documentation of who owns what. In a recent update, the auditor's office announced the museum has completed just 8 of those 21 recommendations.
"The Art Museum had a number of pieces of art that didn't belong to them," he said in an interview on Wednesday.
In 2021, the Denver Art Museum returned four artifacts to Cambodia after they were found to be linked to a man who was indicted by U.S. prosecutors. In September, the museum announced they were working with the federal government to return five sculptures back to their nations of origin. This was part of the museum's provenance research program.
The museum would not go on camera to speak on the program, but the University of Denver's Elizabeth Campbell did. She has nothing to do with the Denver Art Museum but does run a provenance research program. They train the next generation of curators to understand the importance of knowing the ownership history of a piece.
"Provenance research is really a core aspect of ethical stewardship," Campbell said. "So, museums, galleries, auction houses, even individual owners should know that the items that they hold were not stolen in the past, and if they determine there is a troubled history then they could go through a process of figuring out a fair solution for all parties involved."
The Denver Art Museum told 9NEWS provenance research had nothing to do with the city's art, and they've only got one city-owned piece.
The city auditor's office said that response is surprising, since their audit shows ownership of many pieces isn't clearly defined, and they've got a long list of pieces they believe the city owns.
The Denver Art Museum says they addressed all five collection and inventory-related recommendations. In a statement they said, "The museum is in process and near completion of many of the auditor’s other recommendations to maximize efficiency and the best possible creative experience for its visitors."
The auditor's office said if those recommendations aren't complete come time to ask for city bonds, those incomplete tasks may be a topic of conversation.
"The public puts tax dollars into the art museum," O'Brien said. "We have a new administration, we have a new Mayor, he will focus on some of the issues that our audit reports come up with and take more action than what was taken in the past."
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