The collector is dangling a desirable work, the museum is holding out the imprimatur of an esteemed institution and things can get ugly. “He wanted the museum to act as a pay-through, and I thought it was too manipulative. Ultimately, the gift of artworks fell through, but the Walters Art Museum kept the money, using it to endow a curatorship. A museum of Modern art may become one of contemporary art, making all those mid-20th-century paintings and sculptures feel out of place. Especially where the prospective donation is significant vis-à-vis the museum, it is forced to play a waiting game.”