On Sun, 3 Dec 2000 09:22:52 EST, Katherine Khalife <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>In a New York Times article today, "Memo to Art Museums: Don't Give Up on
>Art," Roberta Smith writes, "The lineup of fall shows suggests that museum
>professionals, driven by the desire to be financially secure, wildly
popular
>or socially relevant, opt for one of two alternatives: exhibitions that
look
>like upscale stores, or exhibitions that look like historical society
>displays."

>=========================================================


I just read the article this morning, and I disagree with the author's
central argument.  While I do think, as she writes, that "[art] museums
abandon art at their peril," I do not think that there is anything wrong
with art museums occasionally mounting cultural history-focused
exhibitions.  The author criticizes, for example, a statement printed in
the catalog for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's exhibition, "Made in
California:  Art, Image and Identity, 1900-2000."  The curator's statement
reads:  "In general, questions of cultural or historical relevance took
precedence over issues of aesthetic innovation."  The NY Times author
argues that this ordering of priorities "represent[s] the failure, for one
reason or another, simply to let art be art, to... allow it to work its
effect."  While clearly we cherish art museums for their display of
wonderful art, do we not also want them to interpret works of art, at least
sometimes, as meaningful elements within the larger context of our cultural
development?  I think the author articulates a very narrow view of the role
of art museums in this piece, and I would be eager to hear other reactions
from the museum community.


Jeremiah Gallay

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