Download This PaperAccrediting Private Collections to Serve the Public Interest in Art
21 Pages Posted: 12 Feb 2021
Date Written: May 20, 2020
Abstract
There are legal differences between private and museum ownership of art. Ultimately, in the private context, collectors are free to make use of their art as they wish, whereas in the museum context, museums have responsibilities that ostensibly ensure that the museum is fulfilling its public mission.
These discrepancies allow private collectors to withhold their art from public view and to manage their art in sub-optimal ways. Some scholars have focused on mandating public access to certain works of privately held art as a way to support the public interest in art. This paper critiques that paradigm, arguing that it is unfeasible and undesirable.
Instead, this paper argues that because private collections of art can play a vital role in the cultural landscape alongside public museums, a better solution is to accredit certain private collections of art. The criteria for accreditation should include best practices within the art world and for the public interest, and the rewards of accreditation should be sufficient to align the interests of collectors and the public.
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