Philadelphia’s Bankrupt UArts Sells off Library of Rare Art Books

Philadelphia’s bankrupt University of the Arts (UArts) sold off rare books and manuscripts from its library at a Freeman’s | Hindman auction on September 10, 2024. The 38 lots from UArts’ collection fetched $163,328, nearly 20% of the sale’s $806,519 total. Top lots included a deluxe first edition of Andre Level’s 1928 monograph on Pablo Picasso, signed by the artist, which sold for $35,200; a complete portfolio of Josef Albers’s 1965 *Die Oberflache*, which brought $21,760; and a limited edition of James Joyce’s *Ulysses* illustrated by Robert Motherwell, which sold for $16,640. UArts closed abruptly in June 2024, citing financial fragility and declining enrollments, and later filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, selling its real estate holdings for nearly $75 million.