The rise of the must-see exhibition : blockbusters in Australian museums and galleries
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The rise of the must-see exhibition : blockbusters in Australian museums and galleries
(Routledge research in museum studies)
Routledge, 2019
- : hbk
Available at 1 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Blockbuster exhibitions are ubiquitous fixtures in the cultural calendars of major museums and galleries worldwide. The Rise of the Must-See Exhibition charts their ascent across a diverse array of museums and galleries. The book positions these exhibits in the Australian cultural context, demonstrating how policy developments and historical precedents have created a space for their current domination.
Drawing on historical evidence, policy documents and contemporary debates, the book offers a complex analysis of the aims and motivations of blockbuster exhibitions. Its chronological approach reveals a genealogy of exhibits from the mid-nineteenth century onward to identify precursors to current practice. This provides a foundation upon which to examine the unprecedented growth of blockbusters in the latter half of the twentieth century. The examples discussed offer a unique opportunity to study how institutional growth, political support, individual champions and audience interest have influenced the development of large-scale temporary exhibitions.
The Rise of the Must-See Exhibition considers blockbusters as an international phenomenon and, as such, is highly relevant to practitioners working across the cultural sector around the world. The book will also appeal to academics and students engaged in the study of museums and galleries, arts management and curating, as well as those interested in the history of exhibitions and cultural policy.
Table of Contents
Contents
List of figures
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms
Introduction
Part I Laying the foundations: culture, spectacle, exhibitions, 1850s-1940s
Chapter 1: International expositions: social, scientific and spectacular
Chapter 2: Private interests: championing temporary exhibitions and setting the standards of taste
Part II The rise of the blockbuster, 1950s-1990s
Chapter 3: In the national interest: the growing role of government support
Chapter 4: Building capacity and professionalism: confident cultural leadership fortifies the blockbuster
Part III Blockbuster or bust: the necessity of the blockbuster in the twenty-first century
Chapter 5: Relinquishing the national: state support and competition
Chapter 6: Global buy-in and blockbuster tropes
Chapter 7: Scholarship and the exportation of Australian exhibitions
Epilogue
Index
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