Source: The Art Newspaper
Contemporary art dominates US museums, according to an annual survey conducted by The Art Newspaper.
Of about 2,300 exhibitions in America’s major art museums, 44 percent were dedicated to contemporary art, the survey found.
This was not always the case, however. Less than two decades ago, art museums dedicated only about 20 percent of their shows to contemporary art.
The cultural shift is due in part to museums’ desire to keep communities and patrons engaged in conversations of our time. Forward-looking museum board trustees also influence the direction of exhibitions through curators, and many of them are focused on the new art of today.
“If your mission is to reflect the world, and women are half of the world… it’s a lot easier if you are working in the present,” said Michael Govan, director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma), as reported by The Arts Newspaper.
The future of non-contemporary art and its place within museums is uncertain in some ways, but the new focus on contemporary artists is also an opportunity for communities to delve into deeper conversations about the role of contemporary art in shaping America’s future.
Read full story at: The Art Newspaper