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Civilizing Rituals: Inside Public Art Museums
Illustrated with over fifty photos, Civilizing Rituals merges contemporary debates with lively discussion and explores central issues involved in the making and displaying of art as industry and how it is presented to the community. Carol Duncan looks at how nations, institutions and private individuals present art , and how art museums are shaped by cultural, social and political determinants. Civilizing Rituals is ideal reading for students of art history and museum studies, and professionals in the field will also find much of interest here.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 28, 2018
“Civilizing Rituals” is an interesting study that explores what museums can tell us about culture and society. The book made me view art museums differently. Art galleries are not just spaces for viewing art or places to have an experience, but are places that shape our values and beliefs about art, politics and culture.
The book has five chapters, the first starts with the history of art museums in recent Western society. It’s in this chapter the author introduces the idea of the museum experience as a ritual—a framework for creating a tradition that establishes a set of values and expectations about the purpose and role of art museums and their place in society. This chapter was insightful. It revealed how the idea of the art museum, using the Louvre Museum as an example, set the standard and foundation for framing art in the public sphere. Future galleries were built on this idea of using grand and imposing buildings, (the Louvre was originally a palace after all) to present opulent and rich collections to the public.
The concept of liminality is also introduced in this first chapter. The construct describes how we experience art galleries—as a mode of consciousness where individuals are suspended from everyday reality and can view themselves and what they are experiencing, e.g. art, with different thoughts and feelings—with a fresh perspective. The idea was first conceived by Belgian folklorist Arnold Van Gennep in 1906 (p 11). This concept rings true for other cultural events. I’ve experienced this feeling often, at a movie, a play and in an art gallery—even when reading a good book where I get carried into a new world. It’s this sense of suspension from real life that prepares us for something new and provides an opportunity for learning, or at the very least provides an escape from day-to-day realities and pressures.
In chapter two Duncan explores the beginnings of significant museums such as The Met in New York City, The National Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris. What is telling are the fundamental differences in the founding principles of museums in Europe in contrast to the United States. It’s here we can trace the elite status often associated with art galleries, and the barriers to access that still exist today. The Louvre is the most glaring example of an art gallery opened for the people, a symbol of democracy (albeit under pressure), with the opening up the doors of the palace and allowing the art to be viewed and enjoyed by all walks of life . Similarly in London the British National Gallery, established din 1824 was a statement of nationalism. The gallery was established for the people, a gesture of openness to allay the growing resentment of the working class towards the the privileged ruling few.
Yet the development of art museums in the United States stems from a different set of founding principles. The roots of US museums in the major cities such as New York (The Met), Boston (Fine Arts) and Chicago (Art Institute) stemmed from a small group of wealthy businessman who held a different set of motivations than their European counterparts. These men (rarely women), sought to use their collections not only for establishing their prominence as one of the wealthy few—a member of an elite group, who wanted to leave a legacy, but they also sought to do good—to educate and civilize the ‘masses’. Large US cities, like New York and Chicago, consisted of large groups of immigrants and working class groups, and museums were a means to bring culture to the working class, to instill political stability, and social order. Yet Duncan also suggests that the art museums in the US created class boundaries and catered to the elite by their policies (opening hours for instance) and the programs they offered. This contrasted to the policies of European art institutions which seemed more aligned with inclusiveness and accessibility.
Chapter four builds on the growth of American museums; it explores the donor memorial, where a wealthy individual leaves an endowment and/or collection to memorialize themselves to the public. This chapter changed my perception of art philanthropy. I’m familiar with most of the institutions mentioned in the chapter, e.g. The Getty, The Huntington, The Gardner Museum. On one hand I see such such donations as generous and benevolent, yet when considering some of the restrictions that have accompanied some of these donations, as in the Gardner museum where the donor insisted in her will that everything must stay the same in the museum—paintings can never be moved from her original layout for instance, it seems short-sighted, almost narcissistic. Yet another consideration is how the donor, even after death, shapes how art is viewed and experienced.
“Civilizing Rituals” is a thoughtful study on museums and what they signify. It made me think outside the box on how art museums, more so than other type of museums, create barriers to people visiting them, especially in the United States. It prompted further thought on the value of museums, their role in society, as places of learning, sharing, and building community. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone interested in museums, who wants to explore their role and purpose in today’s society.
The book has five chapters, the first starts with the history of art museums in recent Western society. It’s in this chapter the author introduces the idea of the museum experience as a ritual—a framework for creating a tradition that establishes a set of values and expectations about the purpose and role of art museums and their place in society. This chapter was insightful. It revealed how the idea of the art museum, using the Louvre Museum as an example, set the standard and foundation for framing art in the public sphere. Future galleries were built on this idea of using grand and imposing buildings, (the Louvre was originally a palace after all) to present opulent and rich collections to the public.
The concept of liminality is also introduced in this first chapter. The construct describes how we experience art galleries—as a mode of consciousness where individuals are suspended from everyday reality and can view themselves and what they are experiencing, e.g. art, with different thoughts and feelings—with a fresh perspective. The idea was first conceived by Belgian folklorist Arnold Van Gennep in 1906 (p 11). This concept rings true for other cultural events. I’ve experienced this feeling often, at a movie, a play and in an art gallery—even when reading a good book where I get carried into a new world. It’s this sense of suspension from real life that prepares us for something new and provides an opportunity for learning, or at the very least provides an escape from day-to-day realities and pressures.
In chapter two Duncan explores the beginnings of significant museums such as The Met in New York City, The National Gallery in London and the Louvre in Paris. What is telling are the fundamental differences in the founding principles of museums in Europe in contrast to the United States. It’s here we can trace the elite status often associated with art galleries, and the barriers to access that still exist today. The Louvre is the most glaring example of an art gallery opened for the people, a symbol of democracy (albeit under pressure), with the opening up the doors of the palace and allowing the art to be viewed and enjoyed by all walks of life . Similarly in London the British National Gallery, established din 1824 was a statement of nationalism. The gallery was established for the people, a gesture of openness to allay the growing resentment of the working class towards the the privileged ruling few.
Yet the development of art museums in the United States stems from a different set of founding principles. The roots of US museums in the major cities such as New York (The Met), Boston (Fine Arts) and Chicago (Art Institute) stemmed from a small group of wealthy businessman who held a different set of motivations than their European counterparts. These men (rarely women), sought to use their collections not only for establishing their prominence as one of the wealthy few—a member of an elite group, who wanted to leave a legacy, but they also sought to do good—to educate and civilize the ‘masses’. Large US cities, like New York and Chicago, consisted of large groups of immigrants and working class groups, and museums were a means to bring culture to the working class, to instill political stability, and social order. Yet Duncan also suggests that the art museums in the US created class boundaries and catered to the elite by their policies (opening hours for instance) and the programs they offered. This contrasted to the policies of European art institutions which seemed more aligned with inclusiveness and accessibility.
Chapter four builds on the growth of American museums; it explores the donor memorial, where a wealthy individual leaves an endowment and/or collection to memorialize themselves to the public. This chapter changed my perception of art philanthropy. I’m familiar with most of the institutions mentioned in the chapter, e.g. The Getty, The Huntington, The Gardner Museum. On one hand I see such such donations as generous and benevolent, yet when considering some of the restrictions that have accompanied some of these donations, as in the Gardner museum where the donor insisted in her will that everything must stay the same in the museum—paintings can never be moved from her original layout for instance, it seems short-sighted, almost narcissistic. Yet another consideration is how the donor, even after death, shapes how art is viewed and experienced.
“Civilizing Rituals” is a thoughtful study on museums and what they signify. It made me think outside the box on how art museums, more so than other type of museums, create barriers to people visiting them, especially in the United States. It prompted further thought on the value of museums, their role in society, as places of learning, sharing, and building community. I’d highly recommend this book for anyone interested in museums, who wants to explore their role and purpose in today’s society.
October 15, 2023
Este libro me ha inspirado un montón y me ha enseñado otro tanto. Sienta las bases para que pueda seguir indagando sobre temas que me interesan mucho dentro de los museos, así que espero seguir leyendo y avanzando en esta dirección 🫶🏻
January 7, 2013
Within her reading of museums and art display Duncan looks at how nations, governments and collectors present art. She gave an insight of how art and museum collections are highly shaped by social, cultural, economical and political factors.
June 8, 2022
Contents
-Introduction
-The Art Museum as Ritual
-From the Princely Gallery to the Public Art Museum: The Louvre Museum and the National Gallery, London
-Public Spaces, Private Interests: Municipal Art Museums in New York and Chicago
-Something Eternal: The Donor Memorial
-The Modern Art Museum: It's a Man's World
-Conclusion
-Introduction
-The Art Museum as Ritual
-From the Princely Gallery to the Public Art Museum: The Louvre Museum and the National Gallery, London
-Public Spaces, Private Interests: Municipal Art Museums in New York and Chicago
-Something Eternal: The Donor Memorial
-The Modern Art Museum: It's a Man's World
-Conclusion
January 7, 2019
Highly insightful about the ritualistic nature of art museum and galleries.
September 10, 2024
was already enjoying this because I just love museum studies and THEN she started critiquing Willem de Kooning’s Woman I. my heart just grew three sizes
October 19, 2012
Uma boa e simples comparação entre os comportamentos esperados das pessoas tanto nos museus como nas igrejas. Além deste estudo acerca dos rituais, podemos ver também casos específicos de vários museus. Este é sem dúvida um estudo ideal para alunos de história de arte ou museologia.
Desta forma é possível adquirir uma outra visão sobre os espaços públicos que são os museus e a forma como estão organizados.
in: http://livrosportodolado.blogs.sapo.p...
Desta forma é possível adquirir uma outra visão sobre os espaços públicos que são os museus e a forma como estão organizados.
in: http://livrosportodolado.blogs.sapo.p...
March 29, 2015
An easy reading but informative overview of how museums have historically been structured and created in both the U.S. and Europe. The ritual focus is often overlooked by the average museum visitor and this book dedicates itself to righting that. My only critique is that the final chapter's dive into a gender discussion - though valid and interesting in its own right - seemed a bit out of place or tangential at times.
September 16, 2011
Chapter 1: The Art Museum as Ritual
September 8, 2017
Chapters 1 and 5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews