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Exploring the role of museums, galleries and curators during the upheaval of the Second World War, this book challenges the accepted view of a hiatus in museum services during the conflict and its immediate aftermath.
List of contents
Timeline: Major events around the Second World War and the Home Front Introduction: a new perspective PART I: 1918-1939: Between the wars Chapter 1 Between the wars: museums and cultural politics Chapter 2 Charting progress: the Markham report Chapter 3 Museums before the war: the context for reform Part II: 1939-1940: At the start of the war Chapter 4 Confronting conflict: collections, closings and openings Chapter 5 As war begins: from propaganda to recognition PART III: 1941-1944: During wartime Chapter 6 State support: the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts (CEMA) Chapter 7 Temples to the arts Chapter 8 Planning for peacetime PART IV: Reflections on wartime practice Chapter 9 Community engagement, education and exhibitions Chapter 10 Audiences in wartime Chapter 11 Memory and identity Chapter 12 Museum staff and the war PART V: 1944-1949 The aftermath of the war Chapter 13 A national museum service: the final bid Chapter 14 The post-war decades: museums in the aftermath of war PART VI: 1950-1964 From austerity to reconstruction Chapter 15 Towards a regional service Chapter 16 Conclusions: museums forget their past
About the author
Catherine Pearson, Author, Independent Historian and Scholar, UK. She is the editor of the journals of museum curator, E.J. Rudsdale, 1920-1951.
Suzanne Keene, Editor, Reader Emeritus at University College London. She has a number of published books on museum collections, most recently co-authoring
Museums and Silent Objects: Designing Effective Exhibitions.
Summary
Exploring the role of museums, galleries and curators during the upheaval of the Second World War, this book challenges the accepted view of a hiatus in museum services during the conflict and its immediate aftermath.
