Exhibition Models - part 1

'Every image of the past that is not recognised by the present as one of its

own concerns threatens to disappear irretrievably'

Walter Benjamin, Thesis on the Philosophy of History

The Wunderkammer of Ferrante Imperato, Napels.
From Historia Naturale by Ferrante Imperato 1599

Based on the idea that the entire cosmos could be controlled within the confines of a private room, the Wunderkammer was an expression of a particular individual's collecting intrests. Rare, precious and bizarre objects were intended to arouse wonder in the mind of the viewer and to provide aesthetic pleasure. A delight in the anomalous was also in tune with the Mannerist taste of the of the late sixteenth century. The Wunderkammer was linkend to the creative imaginations and has parallels with the work of Dadaists, the surrealists and some contemporary artists.

Marcel Duchamp, Boîte-en-valise (portable museum), 1941

In 1941 Duchamp demostrated the contents of the box, housed inside its purpose-made suitcase. The flaps of the box can be opened to reveal a compilation of his works reproduced in photographs, prints, and diminutive models, thus creating a portable museum. The 'Boîte' also has functional associations with the Port-Monnaie (Purse), a pigskin attaché case for use by casino gamblers.

Andy Warhol, Raid the Icebox I with Andy Warhol, 1970

Rather than make a selection of his favourite or the 'best' pieces in the museum storeroom, Warhol chose to exhibit the complete collection of various types of objects, regardless of provenance or condition. The items shown here include shoes and parasols. The exhibition was an early precursor of what has since become a more frequent tendency for museums to invite artists to curate shows.

Art and artifact - The museum as medium, James Putnam, Thames & Hudson