The Cultures of Collecting
Published on 1. March 1994
Book
Paperback/Softback
312 pages
978-0-948462-51-1 (ISBN)
Description
with essays by Jean Baudrillard, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Nicholas Thomas, Mieke Bal, John Forrester, John Windsor, Naomi Schor, Susan Stewart, Anthony Alan Shelton, Jas Elsner, Roger Cardinal and an interview with Robert Opie.
This book traces the psychology, history and theory of the compulsion to collect, focusing not just on the normative collections of the Western canon, but also on collections that reflect a fascination with the 'Other' and the marginal - the ephemeral, exotic, or just plain curious.
There are essays on the Neoclassical architect Sir John Soane, Sigmund Freud and Kurt Schwitters, one of the masters of collage. Others examine imperialist encounters with remote cultures - the conquistadors in America in the sixteenth century, and the British in the Pacific in the eighteenth - and the more recent collectors of popular culture, be they of Swatch watches, Elvis Presley memorabilia or of packaging and advertising.
This book traces the psychology, history and theory of the compulsion to collect, focusing not just on the normative collections of the Western canon, but also on collections that reflect a fascination with the 'Other' and the marginal - the ephemeral, exotic, or just plain curious.
There are essays on the Neoclassical architect Sir John Soane, Sigmund Freud and Kurt Schwitters, one of the masters of collage. Others examine imperialist encounters with remote cultures - the conquistadors in America in the sixteenth century, and the British in the Pacific in the eighteenth - and the more recent collectors of popular culture, be they of Swatch watches, Elvis Presley memorabilia or of packaging and advertising.
Reviews / Votes
[a] brilliant book . . . a good read. Analysis of the relationship of collecting to identity, memory, and psychosexual development raises fascinating questions. * <i>The Modern Review</i> * It is by challenging and expanding upon previous ideas and histories of collecting that the book offers ways of rethinking not only the nature of collecting but also the nature of museum practice. * <i>Art History</i> * Informative and thought-provoking stuff. * <i>The Independent</i> *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 156 mm
Thickness: 30 mm
Weight
612 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-948462-51-1 (9780948462511)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Roger Cardinal
Cultures Of Collecting
E-Book
02/1990
1st Edition
Reaktion Books
€21.99
Available for download
Persons
Roger Cardinal (Anthology Editor)
Roger Cardinal is Emeritus Professor of Literary and Visual Studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury. The author of many books and articles, he has written extensively on Surrealism and is an international authority on Art Brut.
John Elsner (Anthology Editor)
John Elsner is Humfrey Payne Senior Research Fellow in Classical Archaeology and Art at Corpus Christi College Oxford.
Roger Cardinal is Emeritus Professor of Literary and Visual Studies at the University of Kent at Canterbury. The author of many books and articles, he has written extensively on Surrealism and is an international authority on Art Brut.
John Elsner (Anthology Editor)
John Elsner is Humfrey Payne Senior Research Fellow in Classical Archaeology and Art at Corpus Christi College Oxford.
Content
With essays by Jean Baudrillard, Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Nicholas Thomas, Mieke Bal, John Forrester, John Windsor, Naomi Schor, Susan Stewart, Anthony Alan Shelton, John Elsner, Roger Cardinal and an interview with Robert Opie.