Reflections on Collections

April 20, 2011 2:01 PM

Hou Hanru: On the Mid-Ground is a collection of curatorial statements and catalogue essays by a curator/critic. What other collections of curatorial statements might you recommend?

I prefer reading statements that make a lot of direct reference to the artworks being displayed and, better yet, ones that talk about decision-making process, inclusion criteria, and/or how artworks within the collection relate to one another or to the space.

posted by Jagz-Mario to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

Best answer: It's a bit of an indirect match to what you're looking for, but The House of Life by Mario Praz is nonetheless all about the 'decision-making process, inclusion criteria, and/or how artworks within the collection relate to one another or to the space' - it's just in this case the space in question was Praz's apartment, which only became a museum after his death.
posted by misteraitch at 8:53 AM on May 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Have you checked out ueber-curator Hans-Ulrich Obrist's book of interviews with other ueber-curators? It's somewhat art-historically dense -- very much an insider's 'brief history' -- but a must-read for your interests here.
posted by taramosalata at 11:27 AM on June 26, 2011