Cosby art exhibit put museum in the hot seat

WASHINGTON - Bill Cosby was well on his way to becoming a national pariah for his alleged sexual misconduct when the Smithsonian launched an exhibit funded by Cosby and his wife that showcases art from their private collection.

After 15 months on display and a parade of questions about the cultural institution's ethics, the exhibit has drawn to a close.

Smithsonian leaders debated whether to shut down the exhibit at the National Museum of African Art amid allegations that Cosby, 78, had sexually assaulted dozens of women. Ultimately, they decided to keep the exhibit until its scheduled closing and post a disclaimer.

The note to visitors, which says the museum does not condone Cosby's behavior, was posted prominently at the entrance to the exhibit. It was revised after Cosby was charged last month with drugging and sexually assaulting a woman at his suburban Philadelphia home.

The museum's director, Johnnetta Cole - a friend of Cosby and his wife, Camille - has said she would not have launched the exhibit had she known about Cosby's alleged behavior. But she said she kept it because it's about the art.

Some museum experts and critics, however, said the Smithsonian compromised its ethics for reasons that have little to do with Cosby's conduct.

"It's just generally not a good idea for museums to get into these relationships with collectors because there are these ethical issues about it," said Kym Rice, director of the museum studies program at George Washington University. "I think that they made some missteps."

Rice said the Smithsonian's most serious blunder was showing art from a sole, living collector, a practice that museum experts discourage because it can enhance the value of the collection. That, in turn, opened up the museum to more scrutiny when the allegations against Cosby made news.

The Smithsonian acknowledges that it should have been more upfront about the funding for the exhibit. A $716,000 gift from the Cosbys covered nearly the entire cost, and Camille Cosby sits on the museum's board.

The museum drew more than 250,000 visitors during the time the Cosbys' art was on display, a 25 percent increase over the previous 15 months. Comments in a visitor book were mostly positive. The museum has also received dozens of emails, many of them critical.

The exhibit was scheduled to end Sunday. However, the museum closed over the weekend due to blizzard conditions.