The Rise and Rise of the Private Art Museum

by Georgina Adam

The private collector's museum has become a phenomenon of the 21st century. There are some 400 of them around the world, and an astonishing 70% of those devoted to contemporary art were founded in the past 20 years. Although private museums have been accused of being tax-evading vanity projects or 'tombs for trophies', the picture is far more complex and nuanced, as art-market journalist Georgina Adam (author of best-selling Big Bucks and Dark Side of the Boom) shows in her compelling new book.

Georgina Adam's investigation into this extraordinary proliferation, based on her recent visits to over 50 private spaces across the US, Europe, China and elsewhere, delves into the reasons behind this boom, the different motivations of collectors to display their art in public, and the various ways in which the institutions are financed. Private museums can add greatly to the cultural life of a community, giving a platform to emerging artists, supplying educational programmes and revitalising declining or neglected regions. But their relationship with public institutions can also be problematic. Should private museums step in to fill a gap left by declining public investment in culture, and what are the implications for society and the arts? At a time of crisis in the museums sector, this book is an essential and thought-provoking read.

Genres: Art

104 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2021

Reviews

[Tabish Khan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most museum visitors won't stop to think whether the museum they're in is a public institution or privately owned, though the latter is on the rise.

Largely thanks to individuals, couples or brands using their wealth to build art collections that they want to put on display to the public. This book takes an analytical look at why we're seeing more private museums, what this means for public institutions and the good, bad and ugly sides of private museums.

Georgina Adam doesn't pick a side but presents us with the facts of this recent phenomenon -- private museums aren't a new thing but the surge in the number of them is.

It's a well researched and insightful book into a topic most people won't have given any thought to.

[Alessia Zanon · Rating 1 out of 5]

She states nothing new and her writing is very redundant. It is mostly a list of names and museums but there is no in depth analysis or a more researched case study. The book is very short, to me it’s not worth reading. I believe that in 90 pages something more should have been said.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

very comprehensive on a global scale and in terms of the angles from which private art museums are looked at. felt both critical and appreciative of the contributions of private collectors to publicly accessible art spaces and offered a short and digestible introduction into the topic.