Collecting and displaying contemporary Middle Eastern art and design at the V&A : a comparative study of museum practice

Rizzo, Carlo (2022) Collecting and displaying contemporary Middle Eastern art and design at the V&A : a comparative study of museum practice. PhD thesis, Birkbeck, University of London.

Abstract

The thesis examines the emergence of contemporary Middle Eastern art collections across three national museums in London: the Victoria and Albert Museum, the British Museum and Tate Modern. It traces the history of the collections — how they have been assembled, funded and displayed over the last two decades — whilst analysing the impact of different institutional approaches on the representation of contemporary Middle Eastern cultures. The thesis argues that British collections have served as an important instrument of cultural diplomacy at a pivotal moment in history, particularly following the geopolitical shift caused by the New York attacks of 11 September 2001. This was activated by a serendipitous alignment of foreign policy, museum strategy and private interests, the latter playing a fundamental role in enabling museums to acquire and display works through donations and the creation of an active Middle Eastern art market. The thesis also argues that a vision of the Middle East as a cohesive region and ‘area of influence’ persists in British institutions today, and that the resulting frameworks of representation are increasingly unable to reflect the diversity of cultures and creative practices connected to the region. Museums, however, continue to evolve. The recent emergence of ‘transnational’ research practices at Tate Modern signals a shift away from predefined geopolitical boundaries and towards the exploration of cross-border, dynamic, networked relationships in cultural production. Future research will establish if this new approach has the potential to redefine the way British museums engage with non-Western cultures.

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