MTU Library Catalogue

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Whose muse? : art museums and the public trust / edited by James Cuno ; with essays by James Cuno, Philippe de Montebello, Glenn D. Lowry, Neil MacGregor, John Walsh and James N. Wood

Contributor(s): Cuno, James B [editor] | De Montebello, Philippe | Lowry, Glenn D | MacGregor, Neil, 1946- | Walsh, John, 1937- | Wood, James N | Harvard University.
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookPublisher: Princeton, N.J. : Cambridge, MA : Princeton University Press ; Harvard University Art Museum, 2006Copyright date: ©2004Description: 208 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 0691127816 (paperback); 9780691127811 (paperback).Subject(s): Art museums -- Public opinion | Art museums -- Public relationsDDC classification: 708
Contents:
A pentecost in Trafalgar Square / Neil MacGregor -- The object of art museums / James Cuno -- Pictures, tears, lights, and seats / John Walsh -- The authorities of the American Art Museum / James N. Wood -- A deontological approach to art museums and the public trust / Glenn D. Lowry -- Art museums, inspiring public trust / Philippe de Montebello -- Round table discussion / James Cuno [and others]
Review: "During the economic boom of the 1990s, art museums expanded dramatically in size, scope, and ambition. They came to be seen as new civic centers: on the one hand as places of entertainment, leisure, and commerce, on the other as socially therapeutic institutions. But museums were also criticized for everything from elitism to looting or illegally exporting works from other countries, to exhibiting works offensive to the public taste." "Whose Muse? brings together six directors of leading American and British art museums who offer a forward-looking alternative to such prevailing views. The book, based on a lecture series of the same title held in 2000-2001 by the Harvard Program for Art Museum Directors, also includes an introduction by James Cuno and a fascinating-and surprisingly frank-roundtable discussion between the contributors. Book jacket."--Jacket

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

During the economic boom of the 1990s, art museums expanded dramatically in size, scope, and ambition. They came to be seen as new civic centers: on the one hand as places of entertainment, leisure, and commerce, on the other as socially therapeutic institutions. But museums were also criticized for everything from elitism to looting or illegally exporting works from other countries, to exhibiting works offensive to the public taste.



Whose Muse? brings together five directors of leading American and British art museums who together offer a forward-looking alternative to such prevailing views. While their approaches differ, certain themes recur: As museums have become increasingly complex and costly to manage, and as government support has waned, the temptation is great to follow policies driven not by a mission but by the market. However, the directors concur that public trust can be upheld only if museums continue to see their core mission as building collections that reflect a nation's artistic legacy and providing informed and unfettered access to them.


The book, based on a lecture series of the same title held in 2000-2001 by the Harvard Program for Art Museum Directors, also includes an introduction by Cuno and a fascinating--and surprisingly frank--roundtable discussion among the participating directors. A rare collection of sustained reflections by prominent museum directors on the current state of affairs in their profession, this book is without equal. It will be read widely not only by museum professionals, trustees, critics, and scholars, but also by the art-loving public itself.

Originally published: 2004.

Includes bibliographical references and index

A pentecost in Trafalgar Square / Neil MacGregor -- The object of art museums / James Cuno -- Pictures, tears, lights, and seats / John Walsh -- The authorities of the American Art Museum / James N. Wood -- A deontological approach to art museums and the public trust / Glenn D. Lowry -- Art museums, inspiring public trust / Philippe de Montebello -- Round table discussion / James Cuno [and others]

"During the economic boom of the 1990s, art museums expanded dramatically in size, scope, and ambition. They came to be seen as new civic centers: on the one hand as places of entertainment, leisure, and commerce, on the other as socially therapeutic institutions. But museums were also criticized for everything from elitism to looting or illegally exporting works from other countries, to exhibiting works offensive to the public taste." "Whose Muse? brings together six directors of leading American and British art museums who offer a forward-looking alternative to such prevailing views. The book, based on a lecture series of the same title held in 2000-2001 by the Harvard Program for Art Museum Directors, also includes an introduction by James Cuno and a fascinating-and surprisingly frank-roundtable discussion between the contributors. Book jacket."--Jacket

Donated by E. Maxwell.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Preface and Acknowledgments (p. 7)
  • Introduction (p. 11)
  • A Pentecost in Trafalgar Square (p. 27)
  • The Object of Art Museums (p. 49)
  • Pictures, Tears, Lights, and Seats (p. 77)
  • The Authorities of the American Art Museum (p. 103)
  • A Deontological Approach to Art Museums and the Public Trust (p. 129)
  • Art Museums, Inspiring Public Trust (p. 151)
  • Round Table Discussion (p. 171)
  • Index (p. 202)
  • Photography Credits (p. 208)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

This excellent book contains essays by the directors of the Metropolitan Museum, Museum of Modern Art, National Gallery (London), the Getty, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Fogg Museum of Harvard University, and edited by Cuno (Harvard Univ.). It is a comprehensive and sometimes eloquent overview of many of the major issues of museums today, with special emphasis on the public's trust of museums, their authority, and their responsibilities to society. The authors, whose essays are followed by a lively roundtable discussion, discuss such matters as art versus commerce; elitism versus populism; the museum as an advocate versus the museum as a forum; the pressures of large buildings, staffs, and budgets; the role of scholarship; "branding" versus reputation; and the idea of quality--all in a public institution in a democracy. The directors, who must make decisions on these issues every day, even discuss gallery benches, the cost of memberships, admission fees, and the like. Handsomely produced, this is a report from the front lines of one of the most important parts of American society today. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; professionals. F. W. Robinson Cornell University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

James Cuno is President and Director of the Art Institute of Chicago; Philippe de Montebello is Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Glenn D. Lowry is Director of the Museum of Modern Art, New York; Neil MacGregor is Director of the British Museum, London; John Walsh is Director Emeritus of the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; and James N. Wood is Former President and Director of the Art Institute of Chicago.