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Museums are under fire currently from all quarters on account of a wide range of ethical issues, from their association with morally dubious regimes to the questionable provenance of objects in their collections and the perceived lack of inclusivity of their exhibitions. This book examines why the art museum has become a focus for society's ethical concerns in the 21st century, whether it is ever possible for a museum to be a neutral space, and what a policy framework for a more ethical museum could look like. Gareth Harris's compelling and balanced analysis draws on interviews with museum leaders and a wide range of visual-arts professionals in the UK, Europe and the US. It considers examples of best practice in a sector which is struggling to balance increased ethical demands with an often perilous financial situation in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
List of contents
Foreword; Introduction: Why do we Need Museums to be Ethical?; 1 Keeping One's House in Order; 2 Provenance and the Decolonisation of Collections; 3 The Museum and its Audience: Clientele, Community, Society; 4 Ethical Standards and Best Practice; Notes; Further Reading: Index
About the author
Gareth Harris is Chief Contributing Editor of
The Art Newspaper, and was previously Deputy Editor (2005-09). His book
Censored Art Today (Lund Humphries 2022) was selected as one of
Wallpaper* magazine's Best Contemporary Art Books of 2022. He has written numerous articles for the
Financial Times on the visual arts and the art market, and has also written for
The New York Times,
The Times, Apollo Magazine and
Frieze. His doctoral thesis from the University of London focused on the artist Umberto Boccioni and the poet Blaise Cendrars.
Summary
Museums are under fire currently from all quarters on account of a wide range of ethical issues, from their association with morally dubious regimes to the questionable provenance of objects in their collections and the perceived lack of inclusivity of their exhibitions. This book examines why museums have become a focus for society’s ethical concerns in the 21st century, whether it is ever possible for a museum to be a neutral space, and what a policy framework for a more ethical museum could look like. It considers examples of best practice in a sector which is struggling to balance increased ethical demands with an often perilous financial situation in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
