Private-Art-Museum

 
 
 
PRIVATE ART MUSEUMS
 
The concept of a private art museum is not new. Wunderkammern –literally, “wonder rooms” -were a popular hobby in the 16th and 17th centuries — for those who could afford them. Depending on the whims and wherewithal of their owner-curators, these rooms might hold manuscripts, religious relics, animal specimens, illustrations and plans, artworks or anatomical oddities. Wunderkammern brilliantly showcased the curiosity, passion and, to some measure, wealth and power of their creators. But they were shows that played to tiny audiences.
 
By contrast, today, as much as 90% of the art on display in public museums has come from private collectors. The trend for individuals to share their personal collections with the public was driven by both social and financial forces. Through donations to public institutions, collectors enjoy tax deductions, prestige and the satisfaction of sharing the works they love with a broader audience.
 
But what if a donor can’t find a museum interested in her or his collection? Or the museum wants only certain pieces? What if a collector wants to retain control over the disposition of the art: a real possibility where the collection is especially valuable.
 
Enter the private museum.
 
In the 2000s, the creation of private museums surged. “53% of the world’s private contemporary art museums were founded between 2001 and 2010.” In part, this was due to the passage of the Pension Protection Act, in 2006, that ended the practice of donating artwork that remained at the collector’s home. But private museums have become even more popular today –another 18% have been founded since 2010– as collectors with means are creating museums to display their own collections on their own terms, much like the original creators of Wunderkammern.
 
Perhaps surprisingly, these museums are not concentrated in traditional art centers, such as New York or London. In fact, the country with the largest number of private museums is not the U.S., which has 43, but South Korea with a total of 45, according to the Private Art Museum Report.
 
Looking for a space for your collection? Consider El Rancho de la Mariposa, in Taos, New Mexico. Just one-half mile north of The Plaza, behind high walls and a beautiful wrought iron gate is a 14,415 square foot museum with humidity control, specialty lighting, sliding art storage, fire suppression, a security system and an elevator. The museum was built in 1993, adjacent to an historic, adobe art studio built in 1929 for Duane Van Vechten, niece of famed photographer Carl Van Vechten. Taos itself is culturally rich, with three art museums, eighty galleries and a year-round calendar of exhibitions, festivals and performances. And it’s just over an hour from the museums, galleries, and world class opera of Santa Fe.
 

El Rancho de la Mariposa-Click Here For More Info

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