Museum in the Cultural Sciences - Collecting, Displaying, and Interpreting Material Culture in the Twentieth Century

Wilhelm von Bode's proposal to reorganize Berlin's museums in the early twentieth century sparked a debate that was continued in two striking articles in Museumskunde. These articles, by Otto Lauffer and Oswald Richter, initiated a century of important dialogue about the implications of art, historical, and ethnographic museums. These first English translations of the two book-length articles remain unequalled presentations about the different implications of these museums. Accompanied by short commentaries by museum professionals, they allow for an intervention and intensification of the current debate about museums, which will be further invigorated by the opening of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin in 2019.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 394 pages
\n Publication date: 18 August 2021
\n Publisher: Bard Graduate Center, Exhibitions Department
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In the early 20th century, Berlin witnessed a significant debate within the museums sector, sparked by Wilhelm von Bode's proposal to reorganize a group of the city's museums. This transformative initiative set the stage for a series of thought-provoking articles that appeared in the journal Museumskunde between 1907 and 1910. Two notable contributions to this debate were a six-part essay by Otto Lauffer on history museums and a ten-part piece by Oswald Richter on ethnographic museums. These articles, now presented together as Collecting, Displaying, and Interpreting Material Culture, offer unparalleled insights into the diverse implications of art, historical, and ethnographic museums. Through their comprehensive translations and accompanying commentaries, these texts shed light on the sophistication of the early 20th-century discussion on museums and museum display. Moreover, they serve as a valuable resource for revisiting these reflections in the present day, particularly in light of the upcoming opening of the Humboldt Forum in Berlin in 2019. This landmark event will further invigorate the ongoing debate about museums, fostering a deeper understanding of their role in shaping our cultural heritage and understanding.

\n Weight: 718g\n
Dimension: 163 x 237 x 32 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781941792162\n \n