Get creative to acquire art

Clear guidelines about art purchases and allocated budgets can be useful in boosting public museums’ art acquisitions.

How do government or public museums build, acquire and display art collections? This merits a discussion, especially when there is usually a scarcity of funds to purchase new artworks, or when there are no clear guidelines on adding new works to existing collections. However, it is important that the public has access to ‘new’ art exhibitions, and there are several relevant outreach programs to generate interest, to ensure that museums have repeat visitors on a continuous basis.

It must be pointed out that only a fraction of the art collection owned by a museum is exhibited at a time and a major part of the collections usually lie in storage. Exhibitions are ideally curated by professional curators and rotated, based on current public interests, as gauged by the curators. Space constraints and the condition of the artworks, among other factors, are also considered.

Most museums rely on the generosity of their patrons and donors to bequeath them their private art collections — either in part or in its entirety. These private collections could belong to an individual, a family or a foundation or a Trust.

They could be donated in the collector’s lifetime or after their demise. At times, the collections are not donated but are only on ‘loan’ for a particular duration to enable public viewing. This is also one way to access corporate art collections, which would otherwise be accessible to only their employees and a few visitors. Some of the best artworks can be accessed through such partnerships; it can be a win-win for all — the museum, the loaning agency and the visitor.

Museums also purchase art directly from artists, and from private collectors. The most significant factor however remains the availability of funds for new purchases. Hence, the price and affordability of the artwork or a collection become pivotal points to consider.

Purchasing directly from living artists is a great way to support the artist community. Again, clear guidelines on art purchases and allocated budgets can be useful in boosting the art acquisition program, which unfortunately doesn’t happen most of the time. The lack of clarity, funds and a decisive strategy is usually the most significant deterrent and has caused a huge lacuna in many public museums in the country.

Fundraising is another important means for museums to raise money, and many museums opt for live performances, gala events, sit-down dinners, membership programs, corporate sponsorships and souvenir shops, to generate revenue. This is even more significant now after the pandemic when then there have been several budget cuts in the art and culture arena. However, budget cuts cannot be an excuse to stop or cut back on all activities, which are linked to the primary objectives of the museum and the reason for its existence.

The author is a Bengaluru-based art consultant, curator and writer. She blogs at Art Scene India and can be reached at [e-mail]

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