Themissingobject:

Astudyoftheindexingofabsenceinthecollectionondisplay
LuciaPietroiusti1

IrecallaconversationIhadinMay2006,followingtheconvictionofthreemenforthe
theftofEdvardMunchspaintingsTheScreamandMadonnafromtheMunchMuseum
inOslo.Thepaintingshadnotyetbeenrecoveredsincetheirtheftin2004,andthisfact,
combinedwiththearrests,instilledanamountofunrestinpublicopinion,aswellas
thefearthatthepaintingsmayinfacthavebeenburnedinordertodestroythe
evidence.2Inthisconversation,whichstemmedmorefromourcapacityforfictional
speculationthanfromfactualevidenceorknowledgeofthecircumstancesofthetheft,
myinterlocutorinsistedthat,duetotheineffablequalityoftheartworks,totheirstatus
asmasterpieces,itwouldbeimpossible,evenunthinkable,thatthepaintingscould
havebeendestroyed.Thispositionwasnotheld,ofcourse,withoutanawarenessofthe
innumerabletimesinhistorywhenartworkshavebeenintentionallyharmedsuchas
thebonfireof27July1942inPariswhichtowhichwerelostmanydegenerateart
piecesby,amongothers,Picasso,DalandKlee.Itwas,however,apositionofhope,of
believingthattheartworkswouldbereturnedtotheirrightfulplaceintheMunch
Museumthattheveryfactoftheirartworknessnecessitatedtheirbelongingtothe
spatialarrangementofacollection,toadeterminedregimeofdisplayandtoasocial
functionthatisuniquetoartobjects.Incontrast,I,doubtlesslyintheblindbeliefof
mediaspeculation,heldthattherewasnootheroption:thatifthepaintingshadnotyet
turnedupnorhadyetbeensold,theymusthavevanished,leavingintheMunch
Museumscollectiontwoirrevocable,intractablegaps.

Thinkingaboutthisatadistance,andfollowingtherecoveryoftheMunchpaintings,it
occurstomethatthisconversationwasoperating,throughtheexamplesoftheScream
andtheMadonna,onanumberofdifferentlevels,addressingtherelationshipbetween
preservationanddestructioninthefaceofirreplaceableartobjects;betweenartas
artefactorobjectandartasmeaning,relic,oraura.Butwewerealsospeakingof
therelationshipbetweenthemuseumscollectionanditsdisplay,whetherthemissing
objectinacollectioncanstillclaimtobelongtoitwhethertheblankspacesonthe
wallsofthemuseum,visuallysymptomaticofthegapsinthecollection,arethemselves
anintegralpartofit,andhowthisabsence,thisloss,becomesindexedasabsenceand
lossinthecontextofwhatisputondisplay.

Theconsiderationsthatfollowemergeoutofthisinitialcuriosity,thisinterestinthe
objectwithinthecollection.Theyfindtheirresonanceinarangeofstudiesandschools
ofthought,frommuseumstudiestomaterialculturestudies,throughtopsychoanalysis
andcriticaltheory.Theyconcentrateonanobject,andinthisendeavour,theyfollowon
fromthemultidisciplinary,loosefieldofobjectstudies.Theyseektothinkofthis
objectinthecontextofmuseumhistory,culture,experience,andmethodsofcollecting
anddisplayingartandartefacts,ormoregenerally,themuseumobject.Theyattempt
todrawtogetheraspectsoftheobjectthatmayresideintheintermediatespace(s)
betweenindividualexperience,socioculturalcontextandontological,physical
materiality.Theythusturntotheobject,andlookforitintext,theory,experience.

Theobjectinquestionismissing.

1WrittenforMACulturalandCriticalStudies,2011.
2ThiswasfirstsuggestedbytheNorwegiantabloidDagbladeton28April2005,andthenreportedina

numberofEnglishspeakingsourcesonlineandinprint.Dagbladet
<www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2005/04/28/430105>[accessed21December2011].

1

Inbeingmissing,Iassertbothabsenceandpresence,bothbeingandmissing,both
negationandthelingeringofbeingbeyondphysical,materialpresence.Isuggestthe
spectralnatureoftheobject,conjuringtheindexicalsignsthatremain,inthebeliefthat,
ghostly,whetherasinternalprojectionorexternal,objectivedocumentation,the
absentobjectremainsanagentinourperceptionofthematerialworld.

Twoelements,withtheirdistinctivehistoryandgenealogy,groundtheareaofthis
study.Ontheonehand,thereisthecollection,anaggregationofobjectsthatfollowa
personalorinstitutionalagendaandthat,inaccumulatingartefactsthroughalogicof
similarity,contiguityoranalogy,transformstheobjectsthemselvesfromindividual
thingswithausefunctiontopartsofagreater,everincompletewhole.Ontheother,
thereisthehistory,practiceandimplicationsofmuseumdisplay,orthewayinwhich
museumsandtheirpracticeofcollectingobjectsanddisplayingthesetothepublicare
theproductsofaspecificplaceandtimeandfunctionwithinaparticularcontextof
knowledgeproduction.Neithertheactionofcollecting,northemuseologicalprocessof
displayingthiscollection,canbeunderstoodaspracticeswithunivocal,unequivocal
histories,butrather,asamultiformcoalescenceofactionsandeventswithinspecific
socialandpsychiccontexts,whichthemselvespartakeintheshapingofthe
presentationandunderstandingoftheverynatureandstatusofthemuseumobjectas
distinctfromeverydaymaterial.

1. Collectingtheobject

Numerousstudies,bothwithinthefieldofmuseologyandwithinthephilosophicaland
criticaltraditions,haveexaminedtheindividualimpulsetocollectasamanifestationof
apsychicdesireforcompleteness;oranattempttoreifyonespersonalitytraitsinto
thematerialworld;oraninstantiationoffetishism,whetherthisbeunderstoodina
MarxianoraFreudiansense.3InhisUnpackingmyLibrary:ATalkaboutBook
Collecting,WalterBenjaminsetsoutanumberoffundamentalideastowardsthe
understandingofthecollectingimpulse.Firstofall,Benjaminargues,thecollection
bearsarelationshiptomemory,totheindividualmoments,coalescedintheobjects,
wheretheobjectscameinthepossessionofthecollector:Everypassionbordersonthe
chaotic,butthecollectorspassionbordersonthechaosofmemoriesForwhatelseis
thiscollectionbutadisordertowhichhabithasaccommodateditselftosuchanextent
thatitcanappearasorder?4Personalhistory,andthedesiretoorganiseacollection,
thereforeoperateinatensionbetweenorderanddisorder,activatedbymemory.A
faithfulrelationshiptotheobjectsinonescollection,Benjaminargues,canonlybe
maintainedifthecollectionretainsitsconnectiontotheowner,whoseorder/disorder,
memory/logicconstructionhasaggregatedandrationalisedindividualobjectsintoa
coherentwhole:

thephenomenonofcollectinglosesitsmeaningasitlosesitspersonalowner.Even
thoughpubliccollectionsmaybelessobjectionablesociallyandmoreuseful
academicallythanprivatecollections,theobjectsgettheirdueonlyinthelatter.5

3See,forexample:WalterBenjamin,UnpackingmyLibrary:ATalkaboutBookCollecting[1955],in

Illuminations,trans.byHarryZohn(NewYork:SchockenBooks,2007),pp.5967;JeanBaudrillard,The
SystemofCollecting,inTheSystemofObjects[1968],trans.byJamesBenedict(London:Verso,2005);
SusanStewart,OnLonging:NarrativesoftheMiniature,theGigantic,theSouvenir,theCollection(Baltimore:
JohnsHopkinsUniversityPress,1993);JohnEisner&RogerCardinal(eds.),TheCulturesofCollecting
(London:ReaktionBooks,1994);SusanPearce,OnCollecting:AnInvestigationintoCollectinginthe
EuropeanTradition(London:Routledge,1995).
4WalterBenjamin,op.cit.,p.60.
5ibid.,p.67.

2

Yet,thequestionofthepresentstudyconcernsthedisplayofsuchacollection,inthe
contextofthepublicinstitutionofamuseum.Itmaycertainlybeargued,notwithout
reason,thatmostmuseumscollectionsoriginatefromapersonalone(suchastheJohn
SoaneMuseuminLondon),orfromthecoalescenceofobjectsthemselvesoriginatingin
numerousprivatecollections(suchasisthecaseinmostmuseumsofnaturalhistory).
Yetthereexistanumberoffundamentaldifferencesintheprocessofcollectingonce
thisisdoneataninstitutionallevel,nottheleastofwhichbeingthattheobjectchoices
are,forthemostpart,madebyaboard(albeitheadedbyaDirector),ratherthanan
individual.

However,therelationshipbetweenthecollection,memoryandsubjectiveorderingthat
Benjaminwritesaboutfindsitsresonanceinthecontextofthepublicmuseum,Iargue,
throughtheunderstandingofthecollectionasanarrative,andofnarrativeasthepoint
ofinteractionbetweensubjectivityandtheintersubjective,orsocialandpsychic,
field.Inthisdirection,IwouldliketounderstandthecollectingimpulsethroughMieke
BalsessayTellingObjects:ANarrativePerspectiveonCollecting.6Inhertext,Bal
focusesontwoactivitiesthathavebeenofinterestinherthinkingnarratingand
collectinginordertoexplorethespaceofinteractionbetweenthetwo.Aimingto
discusscollectingasanarrative;notasaprocessaboutwhichanarrativecanbetold,
butasitselfanarrative,7Balidentifiesinnarrationtheinterplayofsubjectivity,of
individualexpression,andsocioculturallife,orthewayinwhichnarrativeexistsandis
modifiedintheinteractionbetweentellers,listeners,writers,readers,andthe
intertextualrealmand,inthecaseofacollection,betweenboards,directors,
institutionalpolicy,curators,displaymethods,andviewers,betheyembodiedor
remote.Inwishingtostretchtheideaofnarrative,andoffiction,beyondthe
possibilitiesofthelinguisticandfurtherintotheintersubjectiverealm,Balasks:

Whatifthemediumconsistsofreal,hardmaterialobjects?Things,calledobjects
foragoodreason,appeartobethemostpureformofobjectivity.Soexamining
thequestionoftheinherentfictionalityofallnarrativescanaswellbeginhere.In
otherwords,canthingsbe,ortell,stories?8

Thispositionreflectsanimpulse,withinthefieldofmaterialculturestudies,to
understandobjectsas,themselves,bearersofalife,and,toacertainextent,ofasocial
lifethatisunderstandableincriticalhistoricaltermsinanalogouswaystothatof
people.9ButinBalsunderstanding,collectedthingsneedtobeidentifiedsomewherein
theinteractionbetweenthissocialfieldandthesubjectivity/iesthatlie(s)attheorigin
oftheaggregation,thus,innarrativeterms,betweensubjectivityandtheinter
subjective:Icanimagineseeingcollectingasaprocessconsistingoftheconfrontation
betweenobjectsandsubjectiveagencyinformedbyanattitude.10Theattitudeto
whichBalreferstoisbothindicativeofpsychicinteriorityandofsociocultural
circumstance.

Itneedstobenotedatthispointthattheintersubjectivefield,inthecontextofthe
receptionofacollection,canbeunderstoodonanumberoflevels:firstlyasthe
multivalent,synchronicsocialcontextofthecollectionataparticularmomentintime;

6inTheCulturesofCollecting,op.cit.,pp.97115.
7ibid.,p.98.
8ibid.,p.99.
9See,amongothers,ArjunAppadurai(ed.),TheSocialLifeofThings:CommoditiesinCulturalPerspectives

(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,1986).Inthecontextofmuseumstudies,seeforexampleSamuel
J.M.M.Alberti,ObjectsandtheMuseum,Isis96.4(December2005),pp.559571.
10op.cit.,p.100.

3
secondly,asthediachronic,historicallycontingentunderstandingofthiscollection,as
wellasanunderstandingofthepurposesandaimsofcollectinganddisplayingover
timeandinthecontextofmuseumhistory(thishistoryisparticularlyrichoverthepast
threecenturies);andthirdly,astheanachronistic,metastructuresoftheinteractions,
overlaps,contagionsandliminalitiesbetweenpsychiclifeandsociallife.Theambiguity
andcontingencyoftheintersubjectivewillneedtoinformourunderstandingofthe
publiccollectionasnarrativedevice:thepresentstudywillthereforenecessarily
oscillatebetweencollectingasindividualpassionandasinstitutionalpolicy.

2. Collectingthemissing

Ifthisstudyturnstothedisplayofacollectioninapublic,socialcontext,italsoseeksto
turnitsfocus,specifically,tothetracesofthemissingobjectwithinthisdisplay.Inthe
contextofapersonalcollection,themissingobjectconstitutesthedynamic
incompletenessthatdrivesthecollectingimpulse,andwithoutwhichthecollector
losestheiragencyasabothanaggregatorandasthepointoforiginofmultiplepossible
reconfigurationsofmeaningsandorder.Inhisstructuralstudyoftheworldofobjects
andcommodities,Baudrillardspeakspreciselyofakindofmortificationinherentinthe
completionofacollection:

Theabsentfinalterm[themissingobjectinacollection]isasymbolicdistillation
ofthatserieswithoutwhichitwouldnotexist;consequentlyitacquiresastrange
quality,aqualitywhichisthequintessenceofthewholequantitativecalibrationof
theseriesOnecannotbutwonderwhethercollectionsareinfactmeanttobe
completed,whetherlackdoesnotplayanessentialparthereapositiveone,
moreover,asthemeanswherebythesubjectreapprehendshisownobjectivity.If
so,thepresenceofthefinalobjectofthecollectionwouldbasicallysignifythedeath
ofthesubject,whereasitsabsencewouldbewhatenableshimmerelytorehearse
hisdeath(andsoexorciseit)byhavinganobjectrepresentit.11[originalemphasis]

Anecessarylacktowardoffthecompletionthatembodiesthedeathofthesubjectas
agent,thepresenceofthemissingobjectistheregulatoryexternalelementthat
guaranteesthestabilityofthesystem.Thedynamicincompletenessofapersonal
collectiondrivingthedesiretogather,canbringusbacktothetwounderstandingsof
fetishismbyMarxandFreud.SeeninaMarxiancontext,fetishismistobeunderstood
astheprocessthroughwhichsocialrelationscometobeenactedthroughtheexchange
ofcommoditiesandmoney,orinotherwords,socialrelationshipsbegintobereplaced
bytherelationshipbetweenobjects,theexchangeofproductsinacapitalistsystem.12
ThemissingobjectisinherentwithinthefetishisticsystemdescribedbyMarx,enabling
throughdesireandconsumptionthecirculationofproductsandcapital,transforming
thingsintointeractionsandinteractionsintothings.Inadifferentbutnotunrelated
way,Freudsfetishistheobjectofdesire,replacingtheprimal(inFreuds
understanding)missingobject:

11JeanBaudrillard,op.cit.,pp.989.
12Seeforexample:fromthestandpointofbothcapitalistandworker,themeansofproductionasan

existingformofcapital,aseminentlythecapitaloflabour,confronttheothercomponentinwhichcapital
hasbeeninvestedandhenceappearpotentiallytohaveaspecificmodeofexistenceascapitalevenoutside
theproductionprocessThisiswhywefindinthecapitalistprocessofproductiontheindissolublefusion
ofusevaluesinwhichcapitalsubsistsintheformofthemeansofproductionandobjectsdefinedascapital,
whenwhatwearereallyfacedwithisadefinitesocialrelationshipofproduction.Inconsequencethe
productembeddedinthismodeofproductionisequatedwiththecommoditybythosewhohavetodeal
withit.Itisthisthatformsthefoundationforthefetishismofthepoliticaleconomists.KarlMarx,
Appendix:ResultsoftheImmediateProcessofProduction,inCapital,Vol.1[1867],trans.BenFowkes
(London:Penguin,1976),p.983.

4
 Thefetishisasubstituteforthewomans(themothers)penisthatthelittleboy
oncebelievedinandforreasonsfamiliartousdoesnotwanttogiveupWe
cannowseewhatthefetishachievesandwhatitisthatmaintainsit.Itremainsa
tokenoftriumphoverthethreatofcastrationandaprotectionagainstit.13

Yetasanobject,thefetishisnottobeunderstoodasmeaningfulinandofitself,asa
selfsignifyingreferent.Rather,itfunctionsasatrace,orasthematerialpresenceofa
signifiedabsence.AsGiorgioAgambenstatesinhisreadingofFreudstext:

Thefetishconfrontsuswiththeparadoxofanunattainableobjectthatsatisfiesa
humanneedpreciselythroughitsbeingunattainable.Insofarasitisapresence,
thefetishobjectisinfactsomethingconcreteandtangible;butinsofarasitisthe
presenceofanabsence,itis,atthesametime,immaterialandintangible,because
italludescontinuouslybeyonditselftosomethingthatcanneverreallybe
possessed.14

Inheressay,MiekeBalrelatesthecollectiontotheideaofthefetishassynecdoche,a
metonymicsubstitutionwherethepartstandsforthewhole,thespeciesforthegenus,
thespecificforthegeneral,througharelationshipofcontiguityratherthananalogy(as
isthecaseinmetaphor).Balspeaksofthesynecdocheinordertoexpandonthespaces
ofcontagionbetweencollectingandnarrating.SheidentifiesinboththeMarxianand
theFreudianfetishaformofviolence,operatingonthevisualandmateriallevel,which
sheassociateswiththedominatingimpulsesthataretobefoundattheoriginof
collecting.

ButinreadingBalandAgamben,wecanunderstandthefetishassynecdocheinthe
contextofacollectioninordertoalsothinkaboutthemissingobjectitself:inthe
recognitionoftheessentialpresenceofabsenceinthefigureofthefetish,Agambens
statementcouldindeedoperateequallyasadescriptionoftheFreudianfetishandan
interpretationoftheimplicationsoftheMarxianfetishinthecontextofthenever
fulfilleddesireforcommoditiesattherootofthecontinuouscirculationofmoneyand
productsincapitalism.ItfollowsfromthisthatAgambensreadingofFreudsfetish
bearsarelationshiptothedynamicincompletenessofthecollection,andtothe
collectorsneedforanevertobefulfilleddesire:thecollectorbothdesiresthenext
object,andnecessitatestheincompletenessofthecollection.Inotherwords,itis
necessary,inthecontextofacollection,bothtocompleteitandforittodefy
completion.Eachobjectinthecollection,eachpresence,pointsnotonlytotheabsence
ofanotherobject,buttothewayinwhichtheveryexistence,orsubsistence,ofthe
collectionispredicateduponthiscontinuousmissingobject.

Toreturntothesynecdocheastherelationshipoftheindividualcollected(missing)
objecttothecollection:asBalandAgambenbothidentifyinthecontextoftheFreudian
fetish:

Itisinterestingtoobservehowamentalprocessoffetishistictypeisimplicitin
oneofthemostcommontropesofpoeticlanguage:synecdoche(andinitsclose
relative,metonymy).Thesubstitute,insynecdochecorresponds,infetishism,to
thesubstitutionofonepartofthebody(orofanobjectannexedtoit)forthewhole
sexualpartner.Thatwearenotdealingwithasuperficialanalogyisprovedbythe

13SigmundFreud,Fetishism[1927],reprintedinRitaV.Frankiel(ed.),EssentialPapersonObjectLoss

(NewYork:NewYorkUniversityPress,1994),pp.638(645).
14GiorgioAgamben,Stanzas:WordandPhantasminWesternCulture[1977],trans.RonaldL.Martinez

(Minneapolis:UniversityofMinnesotaPress,1993),p.33.

5
 factthatthemetonymicsubstitutionisnotexhaustedinthepureandsimple
substitutionofonetermforanother:thesubstitutedtermis,rather,atonce
negatedandevokedbythesubstitutionthroughaprocesswhoseambiguityclosely
recallstheFreudianVerleugnung(disavowal).15[originalemphasis]

Thesynecdochalnatureofthemissingobject,asopposedtothatoftheownedobject
withinthecollection,thusrelatesittotheFreudianideaofdisavowal,whichis,as
Freudspecifies,theremovalintothesubconsciousofanidea(asopposedtothework
ofrepression,whichremovesanaffect):

Weseethattheperceptionhaspersisted,andthataveryenergeticactionhasbeen
undertakentomaintainthatdisavowalSomethingelsehastakenits[themissing
objects]place,hasbeenappointeditssubstitute,asitwere,andnowinheritsthis
interestwhichwasformallydirectedtoitspredecessor.16

Iwouldliketosuggest,inthisinstance,thatthefigureofthefetishassynecdochein
thecontextoftheunderstandingofthemissingobjectinthecollectionisonethatties
togetherthisobjectinitsmateriality(sincethesynecdochedealswithrelationshipsof
contiguityofmaterialparts),aswellasinitstemporal/linguisticdimension(sincethe
synecdocheisalinguistic,narrativedeviceorfigureofspeech),andinitspsychic,
internalisedlingering(sincethesynecdocheoperatesthroughdisavowal).Themissing
objectofthecollectionisthusmadeintopresencebyitsresidualmateriality,temporal
discursivenessandpsychicinternalisationbytheobserver/viewer.Allofthesethree
levelsneedtobeconsideredsimultaneouslyintheunderstandingoftheideaofthe
missingobject,itsindexesandtraces,inmuseumdisplay.

3. Displayingtheobject

Havingsketchedouttheideasbehindtheimpulsetocollectandtherelevanceofthe
missingobjectasfetish/synecdochewithinthatcollection,Iwouldliketobrieflyturn
totherelationshipbetweenacollectionanditsdisplayinthecontextofamuseum.It
wouldbeimpossibletospeakofallthedevelopments,withinmuseumstudies,ofthe
discoursesurroundingtheinstallation,displayandpresentationofartandartefactsin
amuseum.Increasingly,overthecourseofthetwentiethcentury,museumdisplayhas
beenunderstoodlessandlessasanobjectivepresentationofartefactsastruth,
towardsananalysisofthewayinwhichthedisplayofobjectsinamuseumisitselfa
formofhistoriography,ofaclaimtoanunmediatedpresentation,strengthenedbythe
Benjaminianideasoftraceandauraoftheauthenticobject.Themeaningmaking
statusofdisplayismultifacetedandoperatesonthelevelsofsubjectivityandinter
subjectivity,andthisunfoldsbothattheleveloftheindividualobjectandintheinter
objectivecoherenceofthewhole.Thedisplayoftheobjectinthemuseumincitesthe
feelingofpraesentia,itpresentstheobjectondisplayastheinstantiationofthe
unmediatedpast;theobjectcomestoexistasarelic,andtheviewerexperiences,inthe
museum,abreakintimethroughthemediumofvisuality.17Weexperience,inthis
senseandfollowingBenjaminsdefinitions,bothanauraticdistancefromthesimple
materialexistence/presenceoftheobject,andatracelikeapperceptionofthedistant
past:

15ibid.,p.32.
16SigmundFreud,op.cit.,p.64.
17AfascinatingdiscussionofpraesentiainrelationtotherelicmaybefoundinPeterBrown,TheCultofthe

Saints:ItsRiseandFunctioninLatinChristianity(Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress,1981).

6
 Traceandaura.Thetraceisappearanceofanearness,howeverfarremovedthe
thingthatleftitbehindmaybe.Theauraistheappearanceofadistance,however
closethethingthatcallsitforth.Inthetrace,wegainpossessionofthething;inthe
aura,ittakespossessionofus.18

Itmaybeimportanttoremarkatthispointthatthedistinctionbetweentraceand
aurainaBenjaminiansensecanbeseentoreflectthemultivalentnatureofthe
museumobject,andthewayinwhichitspresentationinthecontextofadisplay
changesitsstatusas,alternatively,artefact,art,remainorillustrativeobject.Inthis
sense,itsufficestonoticethefundamentaldifferenceinpresentationbetweenthe
anthropologicalgazeupontheartobjectfromsocalledprimitivesocietiesina
museumofnaturalhistoryorethnography,andthepresentationofverysimilarobjects
asartworksinarthistoricalmuseums.Ontheonehand,theartefactisdisplayedasa
trace,andwhatisnarratedthroughitisthehistoryandanthropologicalfeaturesofa
population.Theartefacthereisastandinforasetofculturalpracticesorbeliefs.On
theother,theartobjectsaurapositionsitwithinanarthistoricalnarrativeofthe
evolutionofforms.Inthiscase,theartworkstandsasifalone,asiflesstheproductofa
culturalcontextandmorethesublimeconcretisationofabsoluteideals,Beautyand
Geniusamongthem.Thedistinction,mademostoftenonthegeographicaloriginofthe
objectandonthemuseologicalandcriticalpracticesatthetimeoftheobjectsdisplay,
isreinforcedthroughthewayinwhichtheobjectsfolloweachotherinthecontinuityof
amuseumsdisplayandintheitineraryprescribedtothepublic;aswellasthewayin
whichobjectsareframedandcontextualisedbylabels,otherimagesandinterpretive
materials.Thisisapointthathasbeenextensivelystudiedinthecontextof
museology19thoughtitisfartoowideanareatoberepresentedfullyinthiscontext,
thepointIwouldliketoemphasiseisonearoundthefundamentallinkbetweenthe
trace,thehistoricisingnarrativethroughvisualdisplayandtheperceptionofthe
(missing)objectassynecdochalpresenceofapast.

4. Displayingthemissing

Theaboveconsiderationsabouttheoverlapsbetweenthemissingobject,thecollecting
impulse,andthepracticesofdisplayresonateinterestinglythroughafewexamplesof
waysinwhichthemissingobjectanditstraceshavebeeninturnsignified,made
discursive,orinternalised.

TheGardnerMuseuminBoston,MA,wasestablishedin1903byartcollectorIsabella
StewartGardner,withthepurposesofdisplayingherprivatecollectionofsome2,500
artworkstothepublic.ItscollectionishostedinaVenetialstylebuilding,andits
displayandarchitecturefollowsthestipulationbyGardnerherselfthatthecollections
displaymustretainafeelingofintimacy,thusmaintaintheexpressionofthecollectors
subjectivity.20In1990,inamajortheft,thirteenpaintingswerestolenfromthe
museumswalls,includingworksbyVermeer,Rembrandt,DegasandMonet.While

18WalterBenjamin,M(LeFlneur),fromConvolutes,inTheArcadesProject[19271940],trans.by

HowardEilandandKevinMcLaughlin(Cambridge,MAandLondon:BelknapPress),p.447.
19SeeforexampleAnnieE.Coombes,MuseumsandtheFormationofNationalandCulturalIdentities,

OxfordArtJournal11.2(1998),pp.5768,and,forananthropologicalinterpretationofmuseums
exhibitionpractices,MaryBouquet,ThinkingandDoingOtherwise:AnthropologicalTheoryin
ExhibitionaryPractice,Ethnos65.2(2000),pp.21736.Forthedevelopmentofmuseumsasdisciplinary
spacesfromaFoucaultianperspective,seeDouglasCrimp,OntheMuseumsRuins,October13(Summer
1980),pp.4157andTonyBennett,TheExhibitionaryComplex,inTheBirthoftheMuseum:History,
Theory,Politics(London:Routledge,1995),pp.5988.
20ThehistoryoftheGardnerMuseumcanbefoundonitswebsite

<http://www.gardnermuseum.org/about/history_and_architecture/overview>[accessed22December
2011].

7
thesemissingartworksremainthesubjectofanongoinginvestigation,theirabsence
lingersasatraceinthepopularimaginationthroughthenumerousbooks,articlesand
programmesthathavebeenproducedabouttheirloss.21

Butintheresponseoftheinstitutiontothetheft,itisparticularlyfascinatingto
discoverthat,aspartoftheMuseumspolicy,atruemelancholicactdeterminesits
display:

Insteadofreplacingthemissingworksbyothersinthecollection,orreinstallingthe
wallstoelidetheabsence,theframesremainhanging,tracesofthelingeringabsent
objects.ThisdecisionwasmadefollowinginastrictwayanindicationinIsabella
StewartGardnersoriginalwill,askingthatnoneoftheworksondisplaybemovedor
reordered.Ofcourse,onecouldinterpretthislooselyandarguethatthestolenworks
arenolongerondisplay,andcanthereforebemoved.Instead,inthemuseums
literature,thisdecisionisfurtherrationalisedthus:EmptyFrames:TheFramesinthe
DutchRoomremainemptyasareminderofthestolenartworksandtheirplaceinthe
museumandasaplaceholderfortheirreturn.22Inthiscase,theemptyframestandsas
thematerialpresenceofabsence,butthroughaworkofincompletemourninghence
mymentionofthisactionasmelancholic.InFreudianterms,normalmourning
requiresthetestinglossoftheobjectagainsttherealityofitsabsence,anda
progressivedetachmentofenergyawayfromthelostobjectandreintegrationofthat
energywithintheego.Incontrast,pathologicalmelancholia,toFreud,impliesalossof
anobject,that,withdrawnfromconsciousness,istransformedintoalossofself:Thus
theshadowoftheobjectfellupontheego,andthelattercouldhenceforthbejudgedby
aspecialagency,asthoughitwereanobject,theforsakenobject.Inthisway,anobject
losswastransformedintoanegoloss.23Refusedthepossibilitythattheirlosscouldbe
integratedandrealitytested,themissingobjectsremainondisplayintheDutch
RoomoftheGardnerMuseum,creatingafracturebetweentheinternalised,imagined
lostpaintingsavailableelsewhereasreproductionsandthevisualblankthattheir

21SeeforexamplethepopularinvestigativebookUlrichBoser,TheGardnerHeist:TheTrueStoryofthe

WorldsLargestUnsolvedArtTheft(NewYork:HarperCollins,2009)
22IsabellaStewartGardnerMuseum,Theft_Overview_2011.pdf,from

<http://www.gardnermuseum.org/resources/theft>[accessed22December2011].
23SigmundFreud,MourningandMelancholia[1917],inEssentialPapersonObjectLoss,op.cit.,p.43.

8
framesencircle.Further,theframesthemselvesoperateasfetishes,as,onecouldsay,
semiobjectsthatsynecdochallystandinforthemissingpaintings.Inthiscase,the
missingobjectisthereforesignifiedthroughthematerialpresenceofthetraceasfetish
inthecontextofamelancholicresponsetoobjectloss.

Inspiredbythischoice,whichwasarticulatedbothatthesingular(Isabellas)andthe
institutional(themuseums)level,FrenchvisualartistSophieCallesworkLastSeen
from1991consistedinherinterviewingmembersofstafffromthemuseum,including
guardsandcurators,todescribetheirmemoriesofthestolenobjectswhilestandingin
frontoftheemptyspacescircumscribedbytheirframes.Theintervieweespersonal
narrativeswerethentranscribedandframed,andconstituteaseriesoftwopart
artworks:ontheonehand,theframednarrative,andontheother,aframedcolour
photographoftheemptyspace:

SophieCalle,LastSeen...(Vermeer,TheConcert),1991.
Ektachromeprintandtext,169.5x129.2cmand86x77.9cm
CollectionTheBohenFoundation,NewYork

Problematisingmaterialabsence,Callesartworksuggeststhattheghostlynatureofthe
absentobjectresidesintheviewersunconsciousinternalisationofit.Indeed,the
membersofstaffwhowereaskedtodescribethepaintings,onmanyoccasions,
describeextremelypersonalimpressions,memories,associations,thatwouldhave
developedasaresultofthesenseoffamiliaritythattheywouldhavehadwiththe
installedspacesoveranextendedperiodoftime.Calleswork,bymaterialisingthis
absencethroughnarrations,revealsthemissingobjectstraceasaseriesof
performativespeechactsthatsimultaneouslymournandconjuretheabsentobject.It
maybeofnoteheretomention,andthiswasoneoftheideasthatCalleinitiallyhadin
mind,thatinFrench,afantme,literallyaghostorphantomisalibrarianstermused

9
todesignateacardpositionedintheplaceofabookwhenithasbeenborrowedoris
missingthusthematerialtraceofanabsence.24

WehaveseenherethatthedisplayoftheGardnerMuseumsmissingartworkshas,on
aninstitutionallevel,cometobeincorporatedaspartoftheprocessofdisplayofthe
objectsinthiscase,themissingobjectsdonotjustremaininthecollection,butare
simultaneouslyreturnedtoitastraces.Thisrefersbacktothethreepartstructureof
thesynecdoche:afigureoflanguage,thatisretainedasthepresent,semimaterial
signifierofanabsentobject.AsCallesartworkmakesmanifest,itisthenarrating
processthat,alongsidetheemptyframe,reframesthemissingobjectastrace.

Theaboveconsiderationsandexampleshavesoughttobegintoproblematisethe
understandingofamissingobjectinthecontextofacollectionondisplayfromapoint
ofviewatthecrossroadsofmuseology,materialculturestudiesandpsychoanalysis.It
hasunderstoodabsence,drawingfromwritingsaboutthefetish,asbeing
synecdochallysignifiedbyahybridkindofmaterialpresence,thatoftheindex,or
trace.Insignifyingthemissingobjectandyethavingitsownmaterialpresence,the
tracepermeatesthecollectionsdisplayasapartialobject,settingupthemissingobject
intheviewerspsycheasinternalprojection.Inbelongingbothtothecollectionand
beingradicallyremovedfromit,themissingobject,throughitstraces,harksbacktothe
collectorssimultaneousstrivingtowardsperfectionandcompletion,andtheriskof
stagnation,ofdeath,implicitinthatverycompletion.Thismissingobject,viaitstrace,
thusreturnsthestaticcollectionofthemuseumsdisplaytoitsoriginsintheindividual
willtocollect,toitsdynamicincompleteness.

Butinperformativeterms,themissingobjectthroughthelingeringofitstracecould
alsorevealthewayinwhichthesignificationofthemuseumsdisplay,itsintelligibility,
ispredicateduponanactofinterpretationandexperiencingthatisascontingentas
therearemuseums,viewers,collectors,curators,andconservators,andyetassocially
contextualisedasisthemuseumcollectionsveryexistence,andasdeterminedasthe
museumsdisciplinaryorderingofknowledgeisanintegralpartofitshistory.Inthis
sense,onecouldalsosearchforwhatasignifiedabsencehides:itmayindeedbeargued,
forexample,thatthetraceoftheabsentobjectreestablishesthemuseumscollection
ashavingoncebeencompletethewallsorvitrinehavingoncebeenfilledand
thereforeinstitutionallydeclaresatranscendentalaspecttothemuseumscollection
beyondthevisitorsexperience.Inthiscase,themissingobjectstracewouldelidethe
absenceoffurthermissingobjects,glossingoverthenecessaryalwaysmissingnature
ofobjects,theincompletionofthematerialworld,anditsinfiniterestlessness.

24ForadescriptionofCallesproject,seeSallyYard,SophieCalle,inTheMuseumasMuse:ArtistsReflect,

exh.cat.,TheMuseumofModernArt,NewYork,14March1June1999(Verona:Mondadori,1999),pp.
1368.

10
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