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Even at museums the vast majority of their collection is stored in a warehouse somewhere. There's never enough room in the gallery to show it all. There's also
by mastax 3y ago
Even at museums the vast majority of their collection is stored in a warehouse somewhere. There's never enough room in the gallery to show it all. There's also the matter of properly displaying works in context, lighting, etc. And protecting them from UV damage and visitors.
- Symbiote 3y agoMuseums gradually rotate what they have on display, and regularly lend what isn't on display to other museums.
- mastax 3y agoRight, but this is art someone is paying to store at a warehouse so they see it as an investment. So they aren't going to donate it to a museum but might loan it for display. Which happens all the time but it tends to be a very small set of special pieces. You can't take a whole art warehouse and dump it on a museum and say "display this" there simply isn't space. Museums are limited by space (and funds) shortages, not art shortages.
- codetrotter 3y ago> You can't take a whole art warehouse and dump it on a museum and say "display this" there simply isn't space. Museums are limited by space (and funds) shortages, not art shortages. It’s still better for the world that culturally significant art be owned by museums, than by private collectors, even if most of the art is not on display all the time.