In a message dated 00-12-15 17:37:07 EST, Harold Needham wrote:

<< Now, I may sound a tad bitter, but I think it is a case of the gallery
 allegedly elite looking down at we dirty nailed museum folk. >>

Harry may be right about this: it's curious that some art museums would go
out of their way to distinguish themselves from other kinds of museums by
adopting a different generic name, yet at the same time risk being confused
with commercial entities.  When you first hear of an unfamiliar "gallery",
such as the "Blank Gallery of Modern Art," you don't immediately know whether
it's a museum or a dealership.  To my mind, this is another reason the public
can get confused about the nature of museums.  "Gallery" emphasizes the
exhibition aspect of museums as opposed to the collections side.  When used
in the name for an art museum, it's ambiguous, since "art galleries" may be
museums, non-collecting exhibition sites, or commercial dealerships.  On the
other hand, to art lovers who just want to see art and don't care whether
it's displayed in a museum setting or on a dealer's walls, perhaps it's a
useful leveling device.  I think it's amusing that some dealers use the
plural form "galleries", even when they in fact have only one gallery (room).

David Haberstich

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