Travelling Art Exhibitions and small countries

[Cumannach]

Has anyone noticed how the smaller countries in Europe, like Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, and other nations on the periphery almost never get to share in on a major touring art exhibiton or archaeogical exhibition? These countries are the ones with the very small National Galleries and collections in the first place! They should be the first ones to get them! For example, just look at what's going on in London, a city that already has more paintings, antiquities etc than all of the small countries put together;

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/future_exhibitions/moctezuma.aspx

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/exhibitions/renaissancefaces/default.htm

And it's the same with the Louvre, the Prado etc.

This is outrageous big country chauvinism at it's worst.

[Bilan]

...
I don't see what the big deal is?
It's not chauvinism. They're pieces of art, and presumably, they go to where they're going to be able to get the most exposure and turn over.
What basis do you have to claim this as 'big country chauvinism' beyond that it's not where you want it to be?

[Cumannach]

I don't know exactly how it operates, but the majority of these are publicly owned pieces of 'national heritage', so they're not really just putting on these exhibitions to try and get more sales in the museum cafe. I really don't see a large private interest behind them, but I may be missing it- can someone point it out? They're co-ordinated between different national galleries and institutions, but the really major touring exhibitions, practically never make it from to a small country, which would get the most out of it since their own permanent collections are comparatively small. These exhibitions just circle amongst the already well endowed national galleries.

The 'greatest audience' argument doesn't really hack it either. the exhibitions can go to big and small countries, and the people in the small countries have as much right to see them as others. Also, if they're just interested in the 'largest audience', send them all to China.

[TC]

1. is this supposed to be a joke?

2. the reason why the National Gallery of Ireland can't get the good traveling exhibits and the Louvre or National Gallery, London, can, is because the National Gallery, London can offer parts of its substantial collection to say, the Louvre, and vice versa, in exchange for part of their collection traveling as well...whereas National Gallery of Ireland has less to offer to the traveling exhibit so it doesn't get it. Thats how it works. The big museums get the big traveling collections because the traveling collections are drawn from the big museums.

I mean, I'd appreciate having a traveling art collection on loan from Museo del Prado in my living room, but it would be hard to negotiate for since i have nothing to offer them in exchange for it.

[Cumannach]

2. the reason why the National Gallery of Ireland can't get the good traveling exhibits and the Louvre or National Gallery, London, can, is because the National Gallery, London can offer parts of its substantial collection to say, the Louvre, and vice versa, in exchange for part of their collection traveling as well...whereas National Gallery of Ireland has less to offer to the traveling exhibit so it doesn't get it. Thats how it works. The big museums get the big traveling collections because the traveling collections are drawn from the big museums.



clap clap

This was my point. You'd expect more fairness from national state owned institutions especially within the EU.

It's also not entirely true, a few selections from all the small museums would be gladly exhibited in the Louvre, for example, the Poussin's in Ireland and Scotland.

[Mujer Libre]

Moving this to Graphics etc.

[Sugar Hill Kevis]

Pretty irrelevant but there was a great Emory Douglas (Black Panther Party) exhibition when I was in Manchester a few months back... I was just walking along and saw a poster for it, was a pretty cool coincidence.

[ComradeOm]

The difference between the National Museum of Ireland and either the British Museum or the Louvre? Ireland has not had centuries of imperialism in which to amass impressive collections from across the globe

[Cumannach]

The Dutch museums seem to be more generous than the British, or French or Italians, when lending to Ireland at least- but maybe that's because the Dutch Collection in the NGI is quite strong.

On the one hand, the British are very generous in loaning paintings for temporary exhibitions if the paintings are actually Irish in British collections, or even British paintings. But on the other hand, the really big names of European Art rarely seem to make it to small countries in the major touring exhibitions. Also, the Germans a while ago loaned the Durer picture of Irish soldiers, which has stronger interest here of course than it would elsewhere. So, with these lesser works, they're happy to let them visit small countries.

It's disappointing the great publicly owned National Museums and Galleries in Europe don't have more fairness in this respect.