understanding art museums, 06 Mar 2007
As a theorist of art and Art myself, I am struck by how very few books offer insight into the problem of Modern Art, the public promotion, civic installation and academic endorsement of a mostly bogus offering of artistic marvel, 1917 to present. This book, together with Carol Duncan's other book 'The Aesthetics of Power', is among that very few.

Her chief contribution is to explain what kind of social and political context (revolutionary politics), in Europe, led to the birth of the modern public Art museum in the early 19th century. The model she offers is the palace and its treasure nationalized and opened to public perambulation. For me, her essays brought an added perspective that allowed everything else I was thinking about for years to fall into place. Alas, she has not applied this perspective and her cool intelligence to 20th century developments in Art - the flip from an art of illusion to an illusion of Art. But then, nor has anyone else, yet.

understanding art museums, 06 Mar 2007
As a theorist of art and Art myself, I am struck by how very few books offer insight into the problem of Modern Art, the public promotion, civic installation and academic endorsement of a mostly bogus offering of artistic marvel, 1917 to present. This book, together with Carol Duncan's other book 'The Aesthetics of Power', is among that very few.

Her chief contribution is to explain what kind of social and political context (revolutionary politics), in Europe, led to the birth of the modern public Art museum in the early 19th century. The model she offers is the palace and its treasure nationalized and opened to public perambulation. For me, her essays brought an added perspective that allowed everything else I was thinking about for years to fall into place. Alas, she has not applied this perspective and her cool intelligence to 20th century developments in Art - the flip from an art of illusion to an illusion of Art. But then, nor has anyone else, yet.

The father of museum studies lays down the fundamentals, 01 Oct 2000
As a third-year student of "Museologia" (museum science) in Italy, i have found finding research material very difficult. As a very "young" field in itself (only being recognised in 1955) Museum Science has few textbooks as such. So, after hearing about "The Museum Environment" i managed to obtain a very beaten copy of it, (having left my promise to the owner to not lose it on pain of death!). It soon became clear why he was so anxious about the copy going missing, this book is a fountain of wisdom for those in the Museum, Conservation or restoration fields. It is divided into two sections, the first more technical and the second more concerned with the practicalities involved in the exposition of a work of art. There are several aspects to this process, from the physics involved in finding and maintaining the exact light and humidity levels relevent for an object on display, to the psycology behind displaying an object to appeal to the maximum range of human perception. There are also interesting passages on the practical organisation of space, and the movement and flow of people "en masse" through an exhibition. If you are involved directly in Museum work or related areas, this book will be most interesting to you, and may even surprise you. However, if you are not directly interested in these fields, the book is too specific to be generally read. I have ordered my own copy and am sure it will very well thumbed through!