- Email: [email protected]
Chairman's summing up
Museum
ManagementandC~ratorship(1991),
10,204
Chairman’s Summing Up SIRPETERWAKEFIELD
I have a page of notes to sum up the conference, but it is impossible to do so in a short time because we have covered so many subjects. Let us consider what we have gained from the conference for the future. Speaking for myself, I have learned an enormous amount in the past one and a half days and I hope that some of you have too. You might say that there was a mismatch between the German and the British side in that the German side was very contemporary, while ours was more mixed, but that was useful because we need to learn more about the contemporary side. Although the Germans do not need to know more about the historical side, you are moving in that direction. The heritage problem too is part of it and we have had a most useful exchange of views. Various issues came out of the conference. The dangers of statistics of attendance and those problems which take us away from our concentration upon the art. One of the main phrases was ‘The need for lovers of art to keep control of the decisions’. Most of us here would subscribe to that. For the future we must consider whether we can do more in the exchange of art between museums within Europe. You, Jeremy, were suggesting a possible exchange with the Pompidou. That is an interesting avenue to pursue. The other idea was an exchange of curators or students between museums. We in this country are very insular in our understanding of the problems of other museums, particularly in Europe, and a lot of work could be done. I wonder whether the European Cultural Foundation could not help to provide some of the funds to encourage that possibility. What shall we do next? Shall we lost contact? I hope not. Perhaps we should have a conference next, with a slightly different agenda, in Germany. It may be that we should put this in the lap of the British Council. I should like to say how grateful we are to the instigators of the project-in particular, Richard Calvocoressi-and to say thank you very much to all of those who came from Germany specially for this conference. They really put themselves out and made extremely interesting contributions in a language not their own. It was a stupendous Dr performance and I am most grateful to you. Lastly I thank the Goethe-Institut, Brandt and Karin Herrmann for making this such an efficient conference and making us all feel so welcome.
0260-4779/91/020204-01@1991
Butterworth-Heincmann
Ltd
ManagementandC~ratorship(1991),
10,204
Chairman’s Summing Up SIRPETERWAKEFIELD
I have a page of notes to sum up the conference, but it is impossible to do so in a short time because we have covered so many subjects. Let us consider what we have gained from the conference for the future. Speaking for myself, I have learned an enormous amount in the past one and a half days and I hope that some of you have too. You might say that there was a mismatch between the German and the British side in that the German side was very contemporary, while ours was more mixed, but that was useful because we need to learn more about the contemporary side. Although the Germans do not need to know more about the historical side, you are moving in that direction. The heritage problem too is part of it and we have had a most useful exchange of views. Various issues came out of the conference. The dangers of statistics of attendance and those problems which take us away from our concentration upon the art. One of the main phrases was ‘The need for lovers of art to keep control of the decisions’. Most of us here would subscribe to that. For the future we must consider whether we can do more in the exchange of art between museums within Europe. You, Jeremy, were suggesting a possible exchange with the Pompidou. That is an interesting avenue to pursue. The other idea was an exchange of curators or students between museums. We in this country are very insular in our understanding of the problems of other museums, particularly in Europe, and a lot of work could be done. I wonder whether the European Cultural Foundation could not help to provide some of the funds to encourage that possibility. What shall we do next? Shall we lost contact? I hope not. Perhaps we should have a conference next, with a slightly different agenda, in Germany. It may be that we should put this in the lap of the British Council. I should like to say how grateful we are to the instigators of the project-in particular, Richard Calvocoressi-and to say thank you very much to all of those who came from Germany specially for this conference. They really put themselves out and made extremely interesting contributions in a language not their own. It was a stupendous Dr performance and I am most grateful to you. Lastly I thank the Goethe-Institut, Brandt and Karin Herrmann for making this such an efficient conference and making us all feel so welcome.
0260-4779/91/020204-01@1991
Butterworth-Heincmann
Ltd