Author Description

(Re)Staging the Art Museum concludes a series of seminars organised by the Henie Onstad Art Centre and Tone Hansen between 2007 and 2009 entitled MUSEUM NOW. The anthology (Re)Staging the Art Museum discusses the implications of the increasing focus on the contemporary art museum for the museum itself by investigating the economic, cultural, curatorial and architectural consequences of this global development. The question is whether the museum has changed its function as a result of new ownership and economic interests. If it has, is it the case that those who work in the art field must develop new strategies and new relationships to address today's prevailing power structures? Contemporary art museums are expanding. In recent decades art museums and public galleries have undergone extensive renovation and rebuilding, adding new structures to their existing premises. New museums have been commissioned and erected by private collectors and companies, while existing public museums and art institutions have expanded by opening new 'branches' and franchises. Imagine one started out with a concept of a museum's function even before one began to think of a building. Could one take this possibility even further by imagining a museum of negotiations that assimilates conflicts and debates both inside and outside the museum, an institution which renders current areas of conflict visible? As art historians, architects, curators, artists and directors, all contributors have worked directly with art institutions and museums. With texts written specially for this publication, the contributions vary in form: reports, image essays, lectures from the Museum Now! series, descriptions of work processes and actions, as well as reflections on the function of the museum in society today.