Closed on Mondays: Behind the Scenes at the Museum

The transformation of museums from dreary to vibrant spaces has been remarkable, with millions of pounds invested in UK national museums. Dinah Casson's book explores exhibition design and raises questions about why paintings are framed in specific ways, why contemporary art galleries lack windows, why facsimiles make some people uncomfortable, and what visitors want from museums. It offers enjoyable insights that will enhance our visits and challenge our understanding of what is displayed, why it is shown in certain locations, and how the interaction between museums and designers has encouraged both to change.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 208 pages
\n Publication date: 01 December 2020
\n Publisher: Lund Humphries Publishers Ltd
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The transformation of museums from the dreary, dusty places they used to be to vibrant, engaging spaces that people eagerly flock to, alongside the objects they desire to be near and the ideas they seek to comprehend and disseminate, has been nothing short of extraordinary. Over the past twenty-five years, substantial investments have been made into our national museums in the UK, resulting in a remarkable improvement. These institutions are now brighter, more comprehensive, and more captivating than ever before. Against this backdrop, Dinah Casson has made a subtle yet significant change by opening the service entrance of the museum. This book is not a comprehensive guide on what an exhibition designer does or how to undertake this role. Instead, it serves as an exploration of exhibition design, punctuated with insightful comments from collaborators and visitors. Through a series of essays, this book aims to raise awareness about the invisible craft of exhibition design and engage the viewer's attention. It delves into thought-provoking questions such as why most paintings are framed in carved, gilded frames, regardless of the artist, period, or subject matter? Why are there so few contemporary art galleries with windows? If a label text irritates us, what should it say instead? Why do facsimiles make some people feel uncomfortable? Why do we persist in preserving all this material? What is it that visitors seek from our museums? By offering enjoyable insights, this book will enrich our future visits through the front door, which is typically closed on Mondays, and prompt us to question the content displayed, its placement and arrangement, the accompanying textual descriptions, and the interplay between museums and their designers, which has fostered mutual growth and evolution.

\n Weight: 868g\n
Dimension: 176 x 247 x 25 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781848224346\n \n