New Museology

Incorporating material from the recent symposium on "New Museology", organized by Academy Forum and the Royal Academy of Arts in London, this issue records the statements of over 40 international museum curators, architects, artists, collectors and critics, drawn into an open and unprecedented discussion on the role of modern and contemporary art museums and alternative exhibition spaces in the 1990s. Above all, the question is raised as to whether existing museum buildings can be adapted to accommodate new, often ephemeral artworks (installations, conceptual art, film, video, performance etc), or whether alternative spaces should be constructed, to meet the expections of both artists and viewers. Among those contributing to the issue are Hans Hollein, Daniel Libeskind, Thomas Krens, Achille Bonito Oliva, Giuseppe Panza, Hal Foster, Jean-Francois Lyotard and Joseph Kosuth. Visual material includes the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt by Hans Hollein, the Gwathemy Siegel extension to the Guggenheim in New York and OMA's design for Heinrich Klotz's Centre for Art and Media Technology in Karlsruhe.