Great expectations and modest transactions: art, commodity and collecting
Resource type
Book chapter
Creator (person)
Lidchi, Henrietta
Date published
2012
Abstract
By exploring the processes of collecting, which challenge the bounds of normally acceptable practice, this book debates the practice of collecting ‘difficult’ objects, from a historical and contemporary perspective; and discusses the acquisition of objects related to war and genocide, and those purchased from the internet, as well as considering human remains, mass produced objects and illicitly traded antiquities. The aim is to apply a critical approach to the rigidity of museums in maintaining essentially nineteenth-century ideas of collecting; and to move towards identifying priorities for collection policies in museums, which are inclusive of acquiring 'difficult' objects. Much of the book engages with the question of the limits to the practice of collecting as a means to think through the implementation of new strategies.
Book title
Extreme collections: challenging 21st century practices in museums
Editor
Were, G
King, JCH
Publisher
Berghahn Books