Deaccessioning and its Discontents
A Critical History
- Hardcover
448 pages
- Release Date
24 July 2018
Summary
The first history of the deaccession of objects from museum collections that defends deaccession as an essential component of museum practice.Museums often stir controversy when they deaccession works-formally remove objects from permanent collections-with some critics accusing them of betraying civic virtue and the public trust. In fact, Martin Gammon argues in Deaccessioning and Its Discontents, deaccession has been an essential component of the museum experiment for centuries. Gammon offer…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780262037587 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0262037580 |
| Author: | Martin Gammon |
| Publisher: | MIT Press Ltd |
| Imprint: | MIT Press |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 448 |
| Release Date: | 24 July 2018 |
| Weight: | 1.28kg |
| Dimensions: | 254mm x 178mm x 29mm |
| Series: | The MIT Press |
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Critics Review
With its echo of Freud in the title, Deaccessioning and Its Discontents is as much a fascinating, penetrating study of psychological unease as it is an indispensable art-historical account.
—Art FundGammon, in his fascinating observation of the goings-on of American museums, is a new world man, [and] the case studies he presents in the book are extraordinary…
—The Key ReporterA valuable contribution to the literature on museums, filling gaps in our knowledge and offering thought-provoking insights about the formation and alteration of collections. Each book is beautifully printed and, for nerds like me, the appendices and notes amplify the authors’ observations and invite further inquiry.
—It is to the credit of Martin Gammon that his approach to the subject is not deeply polemical (although he certainly has views he wishes to express), but rather historical and analytical. After outlining his topic in a lengthy introduction, he presents first the British experience and then the American, with several extensive case studies and an appendix covering further notable cases from 1622 to 2014.
—BURLINGTON MAGAZINEAbout The Author
Martin Gammon
Martin Gammon, formerly Managing Director of Museum Services in North America for Bonhams Auctioneers, is a founder of the Pergamon Art Group, which advises museums and private collections on bequests and collection management. He appears regularly as an appraiser on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow.
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