And I can understand that, too. Modern art especially is all about the narrative context of the work—if not for the statement being made by painting a Mondrian or a Warhol when and where they did, they would be worthless.

But that context is something that exists whether or not the original is in front of you. It's something captured in a book about art history, not in the painting itself.

I can understand a collector wanting originals. But why does a museum need originals, now that the technology exists to faithfully reproduce the originals? Why not just sell all the works and put up reproductions? If the point is to teach the public about art and its history, you don't need the actual art there (which has probably been restored five times by then anyway, or, if not, has aged to the point that its appearance no longer matches the artist's original intent); you just need an excellent diorama.