Page 46 - Studio International - May June 1975

Introduction

Christopher Dean

Soane was really a sort of early very idea that museum lighting requires
modernist, wasn't he ? QT the combined knowledge of the curator,
Yes, one senses the simplicity of conservator and designer is a novel one.'
modernism, which I like very much. The article by the engineers James Briggs
His style looks very lean. JG' and Peter Smith, points out that
All art is seen in relation to architecture engineering services alone may amount
or landscape and a dilemma exists as to to more than 4o% of the capital building
what the real nature of this relationship costs. The cost of guarding a collection
should be. We can go in peace of mind is also fast becoming an enormous
to Dulwich and contemplate the serenity financial burden due to the increasing
of pictures in Soane's simple volumes, need to take elaborate precautions
or we can go to Lincoln's Inn and against theft and vandalism. We include
marvel at his special miracles where a description of the new extension to the
pictures, sculpture, decoration and Tate Gallery from an architectural and
architecture merge more completely engineering point of view to show the
than almost anywhere else (fig i and 2). care and attention required to achieve a
In this supplement we are speaking of proper balance of control of daylight and
modern art but the fact remains that most electric light. The nature and fabric of
works of art until very recent times pose much contemporary art makes such
similar problems of housing and demands on the conservator that his
techniques of display. Contemporary art skills must range from something like
though is evolving in so many varied plumbing to taxidermy. All these
forms that it may be that the idea of a considerations imply a drain on private
`gallery' for this is already obsolete. and public resources of quite new
What happens about future forms of dimensions. This supplement is not
presentation is another subject and not devoted to the problems of securing
part of this survey. finance for display and conservation, but
Most forms of art at present still we cannot neglect the importance of the
require to be looked at in galleries, unadopted Anderson Report supported
contemplated and, hopefully, understood by the Gulbenkian Foundation
by a far greater number of people than published in 1972 suggesting the
ever before. With the increasing level of formation of an institute in the United
education, not only in Western society but Kingdom for the study and training of
also in countries of dissimilar traditions, conservators. Since no action seems to
the demands for the production and have taken place, amongst others
understanding of art are rapidly Hugh Leggatt5 and Andrew Faulds6
increasing. Ozenfant made a serious have written cogently on the problem.
attempt to point out that the sources of It is really only since the onset of the
modem art did not necessarily come nineteenth century when public galleries
wholly from traditional Western culture became a necessary feature of every
but also had strong roots in more community that artists had to accept that
primitive societies.2 (fig 3). We are thus their work was for an unknown public
implying that the question of how art can and probably in anonymous space.
communicate with people has now few Didactic art then flourished and
geographical limits and has already Victorian propriety was satisfied amidst
become a universal problem. In no way the pseudo classical orders of grandiose
do we attempt to be comprehensive or public galleries. It was a near thing that
conclusive. Our intention is to offer a few E. M. Barry's heavily ornate proposals
examples of new public buildings whose for rebuilding the National Gallery on
prime purpose is to display art, to refer such a grand scale were not implemented.
to some recent exhibitions, and discuss The great modern art of the late
some of the necessary techniques of nineteenth century did not have any
conservation, concerning both the house space to call its own. There was
engineering services of the buildings, no architecture closely related to
and the care to be taken of the actual impressionism and there was little
fabric of the work of art. We hope that painting to parallel the curious biological
these considerations linked with the Structuralism of Art Nouveau, although
changing social requirements for there was some similarity in graphics to
experiencing and enjoying art will serve the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh
to illustrate the increasing complexities and Margaret Macdonald in Glasgow,
of the building programme for galleries. and J. M. Olbrich in Vienna and
The whole financial problem of Darmstadt. Art and architecture
building and administrating public traditionally had common cultural roots.
galleries has changed immeasurably in There were only rare examples of
the last hundred years. Garry Thomson's finding these in the nineteenth century.
article on the complexities of lighting and In gallery design C. H. Townsend
climate control and their implied costs is (neglected in the Encyclopedia of
written from the point of view of a Modern Architecture)' pulled off a
scientist. He says elsewhere' that 'the marvellously functional gallery with a

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