Presenting Contemporary Art in Museums, ca. 1880-1930: Temporary Exhibitions, Institutional Networks and Collecting

In recent historical narratives of the market for and collecting of modern and contemporary art, little attention has been given to the proliferation of temporary–often travelling–exhibitions held in museums since the late nineteenth century. These exhibitions include shows organized by institutions labelling themselves as “museums” but lacking collections, thus functioning more as “kunsthalle” (like the “Museum of French Art” in New York, established in 1911), or public galleries later rebranded as “museums” (such as the Buffalo AKG Art Museum).

This session seeks to investigate the phenomenon of temporary exhibitions of contemporary art held in museums in Europe and the Americas between approximately 1880 and 1930:

• What role did museum exhibitions play in stimulating demand for contemporary art? What was the relationship between collecting patterns and these exhibitions?
• How did civic and other types of public support for the arts and commercial interests interrelate (or even compete) in these initiatives?
• Which types of artworks, genres, styles, and artists were featured in these exhibitions, and what were their intended audiences (and did they attract)?
• What national and international networks were cultivated and developed by these practices and institutional actors? How did these museum-based initiatives compare to exhibitions and networks tied to commercial galleries, artists’ associations, etc.?

We particularly encourage case studies that reflect on the ways in which these exhibitions shaped the profiles, collections, and future development of the museums – as well as institutional relationships to this past.