Cultural representation through the use of artefacts is a challenging but vital role of any ethnographic collection. It is therefore important for ethnographic collections to consider the kinds of...Show moreCultural representation through the use of artefacts is a challenging but vital role of any ethnographic collection. It is therefore important for ethnographic collections to consider the kinds of narratives and knowledge which is created through the exhibition of artefacts. In order to understand the past and present patterns of a collection’s display, a comprehensive study of its exhibition history must first be mapped out. Such information is useful for curators to understand how their collections have been used in the past, how they are used presently and how they may improve their use for the future. This research paper does such a study, by looking at the exhibition history of the Weltmuseum Wien’s Brazilian collection. By compiling data from past exhibitions, the frequency of display for each accessioned object has been identified. The data was gathered using the museum’s database, archival loan contracts as well as past exhibition catalogues. Analysis of this data set was conducted in order to discuss the implications and findings. Particular interest is paid to the most exhibited objects in the collection and the consequences pertaining to their frequent display. Curatorial practices and the creation of narratives in the museum context are discussed. In order to contextualize this research, the history of loaning and curatorial practices are generally considered as well as in relation to the Weltmuseum in particular. The museum’s origins, the creation of the collection and the key collectors involved are described. This information offers the reader a better understanding of the types of objects in the collection and their background. The findings of this research are positioned in relation to the greater debates surrounding curatorial and exhibition practices in the field. Themes concerning stakeholders, indigenous communities and museum ethics are included throughout the paper. This research also contributes to the academic and curatorial management work currently underway at the museum. By combining the three data sources (database, loan records, exhibition catalogues), the comprehensive list which was created in this study will directly benefit the museum and their records.Show less
On the 8th of December 2018 the Ephesos Museum reopened its exhibition spaces of the permanent collection in the Viennese Hofburg after being closed for a year. This research aims to compare this...Show moreOn the 8th of December 2018 the Ephesos Museum reopened its exhibition spaces of the permanent collection in the Viennese Hofburg after being closed for a year. This research aims to compare this new exhibition with the original exhibition of the museum four decades ago and investigate the influence archaeological research, political intentions, and national identity had on the composition of the collection, the opening, and display of the museum in 1978 as well as the reopened exhibition in 2018.Show less
When we think about Vienna around 1900, our first associations with this period are fin-de-siècle and the establishment of the Art Nouveau period. Moreover, it was a time of blossoming cultural...Show moreWhen we think about Vienna around 1900, our first associations with this period are fin-de-siècle and the establishment of the Art Nouveau period. Moreover, it was a time of blossoming cultural life during the greatest period of the capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The main goal of Viennese Art Nouveau was to supplant the entrenched historical styles with modern, bourgeois and Austrian style. Furthermore, the main concept of the Art Nouveau was to strive for a style unity in every possible field of art. The architecture and decorative arts of the Sezessionsstil were much appreciated by Viennese cultural circles. The Austrian cultural centre subsequently became a home to this type of art, since 1900. There emerged two primary art associations called Sezession established in 1897 by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), and Wiener Werkstätte, begun in 1903 by Josef Hoffman (1870-1956). Klimt’s paintings are characterised by applied influences of symbolic paintings of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, elements of Egyptian paintings, Byzantine mosaics and Japanese art. The essence of those factors can be found in later Klimt paintings such as The Kiss (1907-1908). The architect Josef Hoffman on the other hand, was operating with straight lines and geometrical figures. One of the most eminent projects ascribed to Hoffman is the Sanatorium in Purkersdorf (1903-1904) and the Palais Stocklet in Brussels (1905-1911). Notably, Sezession became an opposition to academic art and 19th century eclecticism. The main objective of this style was to break with historicism and focus on nature instead. However, along with Art Nouveau, Vienna also took a traditional approach to art and collecting, understood as creating a collection based on early modern Italian and Renaissance art as well as on Dutch Golden Age paintings. International connections, such as a good flow of information on sales and the developing art trade in a specific period enabled many collectors to purchase a good number of old master paintings. Among the Viennese collectors captivated by Renaissance art, Karol Lanckoroński (1848-1933) is the eminent example of a collector, who managed to create an incredibly interesting and broad collection, as we will see in following chapters.Show less
