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- Title
From the collection to the museum. The private collection of modern and contemporary art in Portugal in the second half of the twentieth century. Contributions to the history of museology.
- Authors
da Costa DUARTE, Adelaide Manuela
- Abstract
The formation of modern and contemporary art collections funded by private individuals and the way those have been made available to the general public in Portugal in the second half of the 20th century, is the central theme to this doctorate thesis. The choice of this particular topic spawned from the desire to understand the structure of these art collections, from the characteristics of the art itself to those of the collector: the profile, personal taste, motivations, strategies, the particulars of each piece's selection and the path that each individual went through to assemble their personal collection. Within the realm of the private art sector of this specific nature and time period, we chose to study the collections of José-Augusto França, Manuel de Brito, José Berardo and António Cachola, which implied adjustments to the original thesis outline. The focal point in choosing these collections was to study the different kinds of collectors out there and their distinct roles in society. Here, we will be able to look at each collection from the perspective of the historian and art critic, the art dealer and gallery owner, the investor and business man, and the business entrepreneur. With regard to the object of study, the preference given to these private collections was yet influenced by the following: first, their nature - they are all modern and contemporary art collections, on a national scale, with one of them reflecting an international taste; second, the time period in which they developed was more or less the same - the second half of the 20th century, a time in which the art market in Portugal was being structured and organized (while abroad it tended toward globalization); and lastly, its availability in museum-like spaces for public consumption. The latter factor was determinant in transferring the usage ownership of the collection from the individual (private collector) to the public, and the implementation of a new management model by the government. The analysis of the selected case studies allows us to provide a panoramic view, so to speak, in which two distinct variables present themselves regarding the process of collecting art during this time. Whereas the collections owned by José-Augusto França and Manuel de Brito were assembled within the time and constraints or opportunities of their professional careers, the collections of José Berardo and António Cachola were gathered with the intent of making them available to the general public, and to be displayed at museum-like spaces. This is a clear distinction in the way the collectors went about selecting the pieces and their individual motivations on whether to make the collection available to the general public. In fact, the desire to share a private collection with the public meets a current trend that has been prevalent from the second half of the 20th century on. As such, and despite the fact that many collections were already integrated in museums, this new approach starts to take shape in which the private collector expresses an early desire to share the collection with the public at large. This role of acquiring a piece to be curated at a museum competed with the public sphere's traditional role in this matter and, to an extent, represents a transfer of power, or rather, an empowerment of the private sector to take on a role traditionally performed by the government or a public entity.
- Subjects
ART museums; PRIVATE art collections; CORPORATE art collections
- Publication
E-Journal of Portuguese History, 2019, Vol 17, Issue 2, p479
- ISSN
1645-6432
- Publication type
Abstract