The Art Museum

One of the oldest displays of art is in the caves at Lascaux, which contain
around 2,000 painted figures, including over 900 identified as animals, dated
at around 16,000 BC. There are similar caves at Altamira in Spain, and some
aboriginal rock art in Australia may be at least 40,000 years old.

Bulls and horses, Caves of Lascaux, France

The prehistoric paintings at Lascaux and elsewhere were hardly intended for
public display, as are the art works in contemporary museums: there was no
public versus private life then in the sense we understand today. The caves
were sacred places, where ritual magic was probably performed. It is a short
step from this idea, of sacred objects in a sacred space, to the vast number of
temples produced by all civilisations throughout history. Perhaps the most
familiar of these, at least to western scholars, is the Parthenon, where
Pheidias’s giant gold and ivory statue of Athena once stood. Only copies of
this work survive but a modern reproduction is shown below. The purpose of
the original awe-inspiring statue was to intimidate the worshipper and
demonstrate the political and military power of Athens in 438BC.

Long before the founding of Athens, the Egyptians had perfected the arts of
painting and sculpture which adorned their monolithic palaces, temples and
tombs. The beauty and perfection of their crafts was revealed to the world
when Howard Carter broke into Tutankhamen’s Tomb in 1922, to reveal his
sarcophagus and the many exquisite funereal objects that surrounded it.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/tutsmummy.htm
Reproduction Statue of Athena, Sculptor Alan LeQuire

Even more familiar to western art lovers is the Sistine Chapel, which now
serves as a museum dedicated to the great Renaissance works of art by
Michelangelo, Raphael and others, as well as its primary function as a place
of worship. During this period, in Italy at least, new works of art were
commissioned by the Catholic Church as well as by the secular rulers of the
Italian states. The churches had the character of museums only insofar as the
art works were intended to educate the public about religious myths, rather
than the aesthetic merits of the art that was necessary to instruct the illiterate
masses. Works commissioned by cardinals or princes, by contrast, were
prized for their artistic values and the subtle scholarship that they conveyed.
Large secular commissions like Botticelli’s Primavera (c 1482) were intended
for private viewing, not public display.

Both Greece and Italy were important destinations on the grand tour
undertaken by English gentlemen in the 18th and 19th centuries, and it was
from this vast store of architecture, sculpture and paintings that the idea and
need for public museums arose, at least in England. Napoleon’s conquest of
Egypt and the removal of its portable works of art ran parallel to the purloining
of the Elgin Marbles from the Parthenon frieze by the English lord. The power
and spoils of both French and English conquest had to be displayed
somewhere.
Botticelli, Primavera – originally displayed in Medici villa in Castello

The original meaning of ‘museum’ was a study or library, and one of the first
English museums, the Ashmolean, opened in Oxford in 1683, had this
antiquarian character. The British museum also began with an antiquarian
collection, bequeathed by Sir Hans Sloan in 1753, and was the first national
museum open to the public. The first antiquities of note were Sir William
Hamilton’s Greek vases, which formed the nucleus of the vast collection of
archaeological treasures it contains today

In France, the Louvre had its genesis when Louis XIV moved to The Palace of
Versailles in 1672 and left his collection of painting and sculpture behind. It
opened as a museum in 1793, after the Revolution, with a display of paintings
confiscated from church and royal property, which ostensibly became public
property. Today, it is one of the largest museums of fine art in the world.

Another great museum that began with a royal collection was Catherine the
Great’s Hermitage, which comprised Flemish and dutch paintings, including
works by Rembrandt, Veronese and Van Dyke. Even in her lifetime the
Empress acquired over 4,000 paintings and 38,000 books. After the revolution
the Hermitage and Winter Palace were merged into state museums and today
include a great many important impressionist works.

In the 18th Century, many royal collections of art were nationalised throughout
Europe but Britain established its National Gallery somewhat late, in 1824,
and included important works from several private sources purchased by
public funds. The purpose of the Tate Gallery was to house British art. In 1853
J M W Turner’s estate bequeathed some 300 painting and 30,000 sketches to
the nation, and these ended up in the Tate Gallery. Sir Henry Tate, the sugar
baron, left his collection to the Tate in 1897 and paid for the Millbank gallery
that bears his name. The gallery, and its offshoots, are now more associated
with modern art, including many important 19th and early 20th century foreign
paintings as well as contemporary works at the Tate Modern.

It is clear from the foregoing potted history that the character of the art
museum developed as a result of the social changes occurring in Europe
since the 18th Century. The somewhat later developments in America followed
similar trends, several being financed by the wealth of its many millionaires.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was set up by the New York State
Legislature in 1870 as a city museum and library of art. The paintings
originally comprised the personal collection of John Taylor Johnston, a
rairoad executive, but were soon expanded to include a collection of
antiquities.

The Guggenheim museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was founded for
the "promotion and encouragement and education in art and the
enlightenment of the public." This meant modern art and The Museum of
Non-Objective Painting was founded in 1939. The significance is that instead
of collecting works from the distant past, the museum was actively promoting
the work of radical and contemporary artists, which might otherwise remain
unknown to the museum going public. The term ‘enlightenment’ clearly
referred to the taste of the museum’s owners. One should mention in passing
that a great many galleries open to the public are salerooms whose purpose
is to make a profit. Of historical iportance among these were the Goupil
Gallery, founded in 1850, where Theo Van Gogh was employed in the
Brussels branch. Hundreds of such galleries and salerooms include both the
works of established artists and a great many works by the less well known,
whose paintings may never be shown in a national or state museum.

The list of major museums across the wealthier nations is vast, and includes a
stupendous collection of works of fine art. The financial costs of maintaining,
running and expandind these enterprises is commensurately great. This is not
entirely surprising, since the chanelling of artistic work into high cultural status
is to be found throughout history, from the Egyptian Pharoas, the Chinese
Emperors, to the palaces and cathedrals of Europe.

The question arises, what social purpose do museums of fine art serve today.
Even as late as the 19th Century, many works of art were focussed on
glorifying national leaders (David’s portraits of Napoleon) or promoting
sentimental Victorian values (Holman Hunt’s maudlin religiosity). The history
of art, evident from great national collections, carries messages, sometimes
covert, about the development of culture throughout the world. This is less
evident from the cultural tip represented by contemporary works, especially
exhibitions. As an example of this, the recent Gilbert and George exhibition at
the Tate Modern displayed paintings that hardly represent mainstream cultural
values, but works that are none the less entertaining and impressive. Indeed,
the overall effect of this large exhibition is like being inside the Sistine Chapel,
where the religious kitch has been replaced by queer porn with a social
conscience.

Gilbert and George, Existers 1984

Some great repositories of art remain in private hands and are rarely open to
the public. One such example is Buckingham palace, the site of which had
once been earmarked for the construction of the National Gallery. Part of the
Queen’s collection is on display in the Queen’s gallery and at other sites,
including Windsor castle. Other great country houses throughout Britain
supplement this private store of art. In addition, every municipality of any size
Boasts some kind of art gallery, often combined with a library or museum.

Art galleries were never as popular as the cinemas that populated nearly
every town since the 1920s, but the sense of opulence was similar, if on a
grander scale. Most will recall the sense of awe imposed by a great art
gallery, with its marble floors and collumns, solemn, leather viewing couches
and great windows flooding the palatial interior with cool and even light. Huge
paintings, with elaborate gold frames added to the majesty of the occasion.

Modern galleries, like the Queensland Art Gallery, opened in 1981, provide
more functional interiors and flexible exhibition space built from temporary
walls. This places more emphasis on the works of art, rather than the
intimidating architecture of the more traditional museum. Upkeep of such
modern galleries reduces running costs by integrating security, environmental
control and public amenitites, including restaurants and shops as well as
providing ample storage and conservation facilities. The modern gallery is a
public or corporate enterprise which employs a large staff to make it run
efficiently and profitably.
The organising of major exibitions often involves the transport of irreplacable
art works from all over the world and the huge responsibility of ensuring their
correct display and protection against loss or damage. Such exhibitions may
be concurrent with others, of a single artist’s work, retrospective or new, all of
which require careful organisation. Administration, therefore, looms large in
the running of a major art gallery, as well as the considerable costs of
dispaying and maintaining a permanent collection.

The character of painting has changed continuously over centuries, reflecting

prevailing culture and ideas. Museums too reflect changes in taste and class
of audience. They compete with theatres, parks and other public sites of
leisure or entertainment. It was Turner who introduced images of steam trains
and ships into his paintings, a trend followed by Monet, with his painting of
The Saint-Lazarre train station. It is ironic, therefore, that the the Musée
d'Orsay is now housed in a disused railway station, a case of life imitating art.

The acquisition of new works is fraught with contention, and often involves
begging governments or philanthropists for subsidies to acquire important
works that suddenly come on the market. A recent case involved a drawing by
Raphael entitled Head of a muse, which sold at Christies to a foreign buyer for
over 29 million pounds. A temporary ban has been placed on the export of
this drawing by the British culture minister. Such interventions by
governments show that art remains a matter of national prestige. Ongoing
demands by Greek and Egyptian governments for the return of ‘rescued’
antiquities adds another dimension to intergovernmental squabbles. A topical
example is the dispute between Egypt and Germany over the Head of
Nefertiti, which has recently been given pride of place in Berlin’s new
museum. A more serious example is the looting of thousands of objects from
the Iraq Museum during the invasion. The safeguarding of a nation’s culture,
therefore, is regarded seriously. Disputes about art purloined by the Nazis
continue to this day, with the Leopold Museum in Vienna among the accused.

A surprise visit to a major art museum is sure to offer a special exhibition or

two, as well as the permanent collection. The need to attract the public and
sustain public or private funding drives continual innovation aimed at
attracting new patrons. One is just as likely to encounter a mind numbing
installation of industrial waste as a participatory exhibition where children are
invited to scribble on walls or make sculptures from pieces of coloured plastic.
Having fun is par for the course and stands in contrast to the long faced
connoiseur brandishing the museum’s latest shiny and expensive catalogue.

The art museum is deeply embedded in the culture of the modern city, and
represents a major attraction on the itinerary of the better educated tourist.
Such museums ultimately depends on the creative powers of the thousands
of artists who aspire to have their works displayed to the public. In this regard,
there is no shortage of tallented aspirants and little likelihood that the larger
museums will suffer much from the impact of the recession that has
depressed the art market and forced some private collectors to cash in their
investments. Rather, it provides museums with opportunities to acquire
desirable works for the public at more affordable prices. The dispay of a work
to the many rather than the few increases its economic value, and provides
some justification for the continued support of art museums by public
authorities.

Musée d'Orsay. Paris