Three prominent benefactors of Brandeis University’s Rose Art Museum filed suit in Massachusetts yesterday to prevent the college from closing the museum or selling any of its collection, The Boston Globe reports.

The case represents the first legal challenge to the Waltham, Mass., university’s proposal to sell art to help it offset major financial losses. The plaintiffs contend the plan violates donor intent and are seeking a court order that Brandeis turn over the collection and the Rose museum’s endowment funds to another entity committed to making the works permanently available to the public.

University lawyers called the suit frivolous, and a top Brandeis official said in a statement that the plaintiffs, who also serve on the museum’s board of overseers, are “oblivious” to the school’s educational mission.

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