The Death of Museums

Around this time a year ago, I was at a museum in Holland called Mauritshuis House, one of the most famous museums in the country. It houses the iconic 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', painted by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer. Home to largely Dutch paintings, the museum is not oversaturated with stolen art in the colonial sense (though there definitely are some pieces that have been taken from their home countries), yet, when I visited there was a special VR exhibition about the ethics of stolen art, colonial history and what museums can do to acknowledge their cruel histories.

I found this really interesting. Having a previous colonial power directly acknowledging its past in this way is, unfortunately, really rare. In an age where less and less people care about museums and what they offer as a cultural institution, both in an educational and an entertaining way, the medium of VR raises questions about whether we even need them anymore - at least for public viewing.

Museums often serve a dual purpose. They're open to the public, but they are also vast stores of relics for research. Think about them as libraries for anything other than a book! Especially museums like the Mauritshuis which houses the Royal Cabinet of Paintings - really influential paintings that are significant in the world of visual art.

In the age of the internet and easy access, I think that people no longer see the value in curating and exhibiting art, or any other form of object in this way anymore. After all, you can find pictures of all of the most popular paintings of all time online. We're so used to being able to see things on a tiny phone screen, that the excitement that should come with seeing an important, significant, revolutionary etc. piece of art is diminished.

I fall into this trap myself. I remember taking a quick glance at the 'Girl with a Pearl Earring', noticing that its an image I've seen a million times before and turning away. I had to force myself to turn back and really take it in, making a conscious effort to remember that was the original painting. Not a photo, not a print, not a piece of merchandise. The real thing.

I think that's an experience that a lot of people can relate to. I see people talk about how much they don't know what to do at museums, museum employees increasingly discouraged to talk about and share their knowledge of a piece because people wave them off saying, "I'm just here to look". As if they're window shopping, instead of letting themselves experience everything a museum can actually offer. This also why there's an increase of 'museum experiences' - because people need to feel actually stimulated in order to engage.

If you've read to the end of this blog, take this as a reminder to take yourself out once in a while! Let yourself experience something new or different and give yourself the time to slow down and actually appreciate what's in front of you.

We are constantly looking for skilled writers and are open to publishing original pieces on our blogs. Follow the link below to submit!