I don't know of any innovative examples, but museums have traditionally operated outside the market economy. By identifying an object as worthy of protection, it was withdrawn from the market; its value to the public greater than to any one person. I get the sense that the strong art market may have changed this, but think about the Barnes example: Barnes wasn't buying works of art as investments for himself but as priceless assets of his audience. I think the market economy is a relatively new intruder in many of America's museums, actually, but I could be wrong?
You are viewing a single comment's thread from: