At 11:22 AM 5/13/97 +1200, you wrote:
>Hello there everyone,
>
>I recently read an article:
>
> "Opinion: Philippe de Montebello asks, what is a museum for?  "The work of
art is the event".
>
>This was printed in 'The Art Newspaper' No. 70 May 1997 pp 28-29.
>It was reprinted from the College Art Association News, March/April 1997.
>
>I found this article very thoughtful and thought provoking, and was
wondering if any 'museum-lers' had read the piece and had any responses to
share?
>
>The writer articulates with a quiet confidence what he believes is the
mission of the museum - which is caught in the by-line.
>
>
>Lucy Alcock
>Ministry of Cultural Affairs
>New Zealand
>e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
>
>
Lucy,

I think that de Montebello's position is a very easy one to take and a
natural for the director of the Metropolitan.  He appears, in this context,
to be the voice of calm and reason.  But the notion of an artwork as event
is a difficult one for most museum visitors to grasp.  Unlike de Montebello,
they have not devoted their lives to the study of art.  It is the job of the
museum to make intelligent choices about how to enliven the experience of
viewing art and make the act of looking relevant and meaningful.  The
presumption that art speaks a universal language is a historical fiction and
ignores the modern development of museum ideologies that have isolated and
enshrined the art object.

Peter B. Stevenson
Exhibit Developer
Field Museum/Chicago
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"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time."
                                        --Steven Wright