2007-10-02

The Stakes of the Collection in the 21st Century

The intention of the collection is always to accumulate, protect and exhibit to make visible and to explain. However, the distinction between the nature and the role of museums has undergone significant evolution, compelling us to study anew how the question of universality has been addressed in the past, and how it is addressed today.

Restitutions, for example, have unveiled a new chapter in the history of museums, which can no longer avoid this matter. It is because of this that there has been a change in direction and in this issue we reflect on the mechanisms and purposes of the collection. The change in perspective induced by the return of works of art requires more than ever an understanding of the reasons which govern the collection. This means reflecting on the invention of the collection within Western thought and what the notion represents to different cultures.

Can we discern among contemporary examples new models of the collection and, from these, extrapolate valid paradigms for current and future practice? This is the subject of this issue of MUSEUM International.

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