1st Edition

The Rise of the Must-See Exhibition Blockbusters in Australian Museums and Galleries

By Anna Lawrenson, Chiara O'Reilly Copyright 2019
220 Pages
by Routledge

218 Pages
by Routledge

218 Pages
by Routledge

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... Read more

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

Biography

Anna Lawrenson is a Lecturer in the Museum and Heritage Studies Program at the University of Sydney. Her career has spanned critical museology and applied practice, having worked in academia and the arts sector. Her research is concerned with how the history, funding and administration of public museums shapes public engagement through exhibitions and programs.





Chiara O’Reilly is the Director of the Museum and Heritage Studies program at the University of Sydney. Her research has grown out of an interest in the complexity of the French Romantic movement and currently has a specific focus on the history of museums and galleries, institutional collections and exhibitionary space.