Course info

This module focuses on the collection and display of art from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. Following an introduction to the museum from Early Modern cabinets of curiosities to the rise of the public museum, topics will include the history and theory of the modern museum, exhibiting cultures at World’s Fairs, private collectors and their agendas, artists’ interventions into gallery spaces, museums and decolonisation, and contemporary practices of collecting and display. Private collections and public art institutions will be considered, and questions to be asked include: What has been the relationship between display and the history of modern art? What role have collectors played in the international art market? Considering the perspective of Indigenous artists, collectors and curators, and the contemporary issues related to cultural appropriation and the decolonisation of collections, lectures will also consider: How should “primitive” art and artefacts be collected and displayed? What major ethical issues face art museums today? How does the art market contribute to the reproduction of colonial relations in the post-colonial world? The module will be delivered through a combination of formal lectures, seminars, and visits to exhibitions. Students are expected to frequent and critique exhibitions as part of their learning, and to maintain a learning journal.