I. The History_1

 

 

Art Museums
Their History, Present Situation and Vision:

The Case of the Republic of Korea

 

I. The History

“Collecting is a very basic activity, in that food-gathering is a characteristic of all animals, but, setting aside the activities of certain species of birds, the systematic collecting of objects which fulfill a cerebral, as against bodily, function is confined to a limited number of cultures and societies of man.”６

The dictionary meaning of “art collection” is an accumulation of works of art by a private individual or a public institution.７ Why do collectors want to accumulate art works and to maintain and broaden their art collection? What are their motives for collecting works of art? Is it just for pride in possession, or showing others their social, political and economical strength８? These questions might seem a bit strange, but it is important to think over these issues to define collections’ or institution’s public role in societies９. In order to receive support from the Korean government, private Korean art museums must prove their public roles to secure a justification and an authority for receiving support from the government.

Ultimately, though, there are no definitive answers for these questions.

However, it might shed some light on these questions to look over the history of museums and collecting.

1. The Origin of Museum
The Latin word museum (Greek: mouseion) has had a variety of meanings over the centuries. The term museum originated from the Greek word mouseion. Mouseion meant seat of the muses and designated a philosophical institution or a place of contemplation. The meaning of Mouseion is somewhat different from that of modern museum.１０ The meaning and function of the museum, as it is understood today has retained some of its ancient connotations. In its classical sense, the museum represented a temple dedicated to the Muses, place to study, a social place, and a place for the storage of books and works of art１１. This shows us that the “museum” does not have a fixed meaning and function. The meaning and function of the “museum” has been informed by the social, economical and political contexts１２ of the day, and its meaning is still being modified.

 

Generally speaking, the prototype of the museum was the great Museum at Alexandria founded by Ptolemy I Soter early in the 3rd century B.C., even though it had a difference in its meaning and function. The form of the great museum at Alexandria was more similar to that of university (academic institution) rather than the form of modern museums. The Greeks built temples in every city and devoted a variety of offerings such as gold, silver, bronze objects, statues and statuettes, paintings etc. to their god. These offerings were stored in an independent architecture (temple) and the Greeks adored these offerings as religious devotion (Greek: pinas). These were usually opened to the public for free or with some admission. Pinakotheke in Greek represents a place for storing and displaying devoted paintings; this term Pinakotheke Still means “museum or gallery’ in many European countries. Whereas the Romans displayed paintings, sculptures, often the booty of their conquests, and a variety of artifacts in various buildings, such as gardens, baths, forums, theaters, and temples as decorative objects. It seems to me that some differences also existed in museum’s meaning and its use between the Greeks and the Romans in ancient times１３. By the 17th century the term ‘museum’ was being used in Europe to describe private collection of art and artifacts, and in many cases these collections resembled ‘cabinets of curiosities’. The differences between how museums and collections were understood were certainly less distinct.

ⓒ 모암문고 www.moamcollection.org