Two national art associations said on Friday they are “alarmed” by a proposal to force University of Iowa to sell the Jackson Pollock 'Mural' painting, and say it could threaten UI’s accreditation.

The Association of Art Museum Directors and the American Association of Museums have vowed the support to “help prevent this permanent and irredeemable loss.”

“The (associations) are alarmed to learn of the recent proposal to sell the Jackson Pollock painting 'Mural' to underwrite costs at The University of Iowa,” the two organizations said in a joint statement. “Such a sale would violate a fundamental ethical principle of the museum field, one which all accredited museums are bound to respect: that an accessioned work of art may not be treated as a disposable financial asset.”