The Private Collector's Museum connects the rising popularity of private museums with evolving models of collecting and philanthropy, and new inter-relationships between private and public space. It examines how contemporary collectors construct museums to frame themselves as cultural arbiters of global distinction.

By exploring a range of in-depth contemporary case studies, the book aims for a more complex understanding of the private collector's museum, assessing how it is realised, funded and understood in a broader cultural context. It examines the ways in which this particular museum model has evolved within a historical Western tradition of collecting and museum-building, and considers how private museums will endure alongside their public counterparts. It also sheds light on the shifting patterns of collecting, such as the transition of personal art collections into the public sphere. The developments are situated within the wider context of private-public engagement in general.

Providing a new analysis of philanthropy, public access and the museum, The Private Collector's Museum is essential reading for scholars and students interested in the private museum, and key reading for those interested in related issues.

About the Author

Georgina S. Walker is an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She teaches in Art History, Curatorial and Museum Studies and her research interests include the recent and fast-growing number of private, state and international museums that have emerged in China and the Gulf Region.

Book Information
ISBN 9780367728861
Author Georgina Walker
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 453g