Material / Image Research Lab (MIRL)

Culture Monster, a LA Times.com arts blog, is reporting that the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport Beach sold 18 of 20 California Impressionist paintings from its collection to an unidentified Laguna Beach private collector rather than send them to auction. The sale, which took place in late March, recently came to the attention of The Times via a reader’s tip on Culture Monster. Both the secrecy of the sale and their selling price are a source of contention.