Museums I have Known
Some of the best museums shows that I’ve seen in past years have something that clicks …something memorable in each one that sticks with you long after you leave the building. The things that stand out are different in each case.
The Memorable Themes that keep you coming back…
One show had a memorable theme, namely the Titanic and the artifacts displayed from the wreckage. Another featured the life work of one of the most famous inventors of all time, Leonardo Da Vinci. Still another was memorable as it brought together the best works of the impressionist era, and the weaving together of the various artists and the times in which they were created made the show stand out.
All of these things are hooks that will keep museum goers returning again and again. But at some point, museums are on the hook to continue the spree. They have to become more imaginative and inventive over time, to create moments for the artists that were in turn the influencers of their day. And it is always clear when the one thing missing in a museum show is the element of imagination.
Museums and the Failure of Imagination
The failure of imagination is the one part of a museum that cannot be hidden or glossed over when art is on display. And for the times that I have been to museums, or plays and theatre for that matter, where there is a failure of imagination, the void is glaring and cannot be hidden from view.
Most of the best shows that were well organized were focused on one theme. And in recent years, they have often stretched to create even more memorable ways to ‘hook’ the audience. One jewelry show in recent memory, featured the work of famous and unique designers, but also had creations of gorgeous creations of flower arrangements in tandem with the displays of jewelry.
“The Hook” is in the viewing!
I have seen wonderful and imaginative displays of art that stood out as timeless. Some that will never be forgotten were in a way, the most surprising. . I could have sworn that early twentieth-century cubist work was not my ‘thing!’ But the one time I could not take my eyes off the subject was a painting by Georges Braque in New York that was a cubist work from the early twentieth-century. What set it apart was the depth of the artists’ brush and vision and the scope of the imaginative world that was imbued within. There was no way I would have known how mesmerizing it could be without actually viewing this remarkable piece of art.
In a post-Pandemic world, let us hope that museums will once again be places to go where we can let our imagination run the gamut, and find that those who curate the shows will be able to let their creative spirits take flight to bring us even more that will enchant the viewers and delight the artistic soul.
