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The Curator's Egg: The Evolution of the Museum Concept from the French Revolution to the Present Day
Tracing the development of the museum concept from the opening of The Louvre to the launch of Tate Modern, this accessible and succinct publication explores the museum’s role and evolution within society.
Encompassing curatorial, scholarly, political and cultural spheres, this volume addresses the concept of the museum from a variety of influences.
In the first section, Schubert looks at the complex history of the museum in specific cities during critical moments; for instance, New York between 1930–50 as the Metropolitan Museum expanded and the Museum of Modern Art was founded. The second section focuses on the success and unprecedented development of the museum in the 1980s and 1990s in Europe and the United States, highlighting the need for cities and institutions to revise their programs in response to a surge of interest in the arts.
The newly completed final section looks at the museum’s current predicament ten years after The Curator’s Egg was originally published in 2000, exploring the museum's evolution in a post 9/11 environment.
Encompassing curatorial, scholarly, political and cultural spheres, this volume addresses the concept of the museum from a variety of influences.
In the first section, Schubert looks at the complex history of the museum in specific cities during critical moments; for instance, New York between 1930–50 as the Metropolitan Museum expanded and the Museum of Modern Art was founded. The second section focuses on the success and unprecedented development of the museum in the 1980s and 1990s in Europe and the United States, highlighting the need for cities and institutions to revise their programs in response to a surge of interest in the arts.
The newly completed final section looks at the museum’s current predicament ten years after The Curator’s Egg was originally published in 2000, exploring the museum's evolution in a post 9/11 environment.
192 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 21, 2010
I was surprisingly addicted to reading this book. I had prepared myself for a dry read, but it was really enjoyable and I learned a lot from it.
January 31, 2017
The history of the museum and the major issues Schubert discusses in this book are certainly relevant and well-researched. However, there were a few issues with its narrative:
1. The origins of collecting as elitist, often in the form of cultural appropriation and exoticism, practice in general are not included. 2. Only European/Western examples are used, despite the fact that there are many great and historically important museums elsewhere. 3. The final conclusion that museums should be "elitist for everyone" is a bit short-sighted, as a majority of the world's population has no interest in art or history when they struggle to pay rent, buy food, find work etc. In this case, anti-elitist subjects should be the museum's aim as well to do educational service to those who would not normally find themselves within the museum walls.
I read this in just three days for a graduate seminar, so these thoughts aren't well thought out yet, but I'll be looking forward to the critiques and other thoughts of my classmates.
1. The origins of collecting as elitist, often in the form of cultural appropriation and exoticism, practice in general are not included. 2. Only European/Western examples are used, despite the fact that there are many great and historically important museums elsewhere. 3. The final conclusion that museums should be "elitist for everyone" is a bit short-sighted, as a majority of the world's population has no interest in art or history when they struggle to pay rent, buy food, find work etc. In this case, anti-elitist subjects should be the museum's aim as well to do educational service to those who would not normally find themselves within the museum walls.
I read this in just three days for a graduate seminar, so these thoughts aren't well thought out yet, but I'll be looking forward to the critiques and other thoughts of my classmates.
May 24, 2022
La primera mitad, donde plantea una revisión histórica de la evolución del museo desde mediados del siglo XVIII hasta los años ochenta del XX, es magnífica. Muy bien montada, muy didáctica, rica en ideas fuerza. La segunda mitad, donde se sitúa en el presente en el que fue escrito el libro (1999) para intentar describir nuevas tendencias, es más irregular.
Nada más comenzar, Karsten Schubert reconoce su pasión por los museos, que deriva en una lectura del todo elogiosa, cayendo muchas veces en la desmesura. Aún con eso, este tipo de visiones sirven como contrapeso a la extendida idea del museo como mausoleo y el trabajo de investigación que la sostiene muestra que los museos son una institución mucho más compleja, inquieta y cambiante de lo que se acostumbra a pensar.
8/10
Nada más comenzar, Karsten Schubert reconoce su pasión por los museos, que deriva en una lectura del todo elogiosa, cayendo muchas veces en la desmesura. Aún con eso, este tipo de visiones sirven como contrapeso a la extendida idea del museo como mausoleo y el trabajo de investigación que la sostiene muestra que los museos son una institución mucho más compleja, inquieta y cambiante de lo que se acostumbra a pensar.
8/10
May 28, 2022
I read this book for my introduction to museum study class. I loved how the author started with the histories of museum establishments around the world. He did a great job for the history part. However, the book becomes a bit confusing toward the end when he predicts the future developments of the museums. I would give a 5 star if the book sticks with histories throughout because it is easy to understand for people who never learned about how museums work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 7, 2020
Read for my dissertation, useful and concise. Yay.
January 13, 2022
Decent history of museums through the lens of the major architects, though a bit dated by now.
November 20, 2012
Great introduction to museum studies, interesting history and the second part is quite helpful too. Well written, enjoyed it loads!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews