A group of locals from Lenox, Mass., who were blocked from a legal challenge of the Berkshire Museum's plan to sell 40 artworks, are "stunned" by the state attorney general's agreement on Friday to allow up to $55 million in art sales, pending court approval. The residents plan to continue the fight to keep the art in the museum.

The group's lawyer issued a statement rebuking the decision, saying it failed to protect museum members who oppose the sale from "any further dissipation of the museum's mission."

In Nov., a Berkshire Superior Court judge ruled that the resident group had no legal standing in the case, which they now seek to appeal in order to proceed with the case.

Artist Norman Rockwell's three sons were also a separate group of plaintiffs opposed to the sales, among others.