Museums and Patronage

Edited by Scott Anthony, Alice Byrne and Harry Parker

in University of Chicago Press Economics Books from University of Chicago Press

Abstract:

This volume reflects on the ethical dilemmas around the corporate patronage of museums, with a focus on museums of science and industry.

Raucous protests, disrupted exhibitions, and soup-splattered artworks: in the present moment, the corporate patronage of museums attracts controversy, conflict, and media spectacle. But while the discourse is urgent and polarized, the problems are complex and long in the making. Museums have often relied on the support of industrial benefactors. Why have these relationships only recently been considered unethical?

Museums and Patronage addresses the issue of industrial sponsorship with a particular focus on museums of science and industry, institutions whose histories are inextricably tied up with industrial patrons. It features a range of examples from across Europe and North America from the nineteenth century to the present that explores how ethical dilemmas around the industrial patronage of science, technology, and medicine museums were the consequence of, as well as prompts for, larger social, cultural, and political change. Themes include the role of individual patrons, professional development, political relationships with the state, and future possibilities for ethical models. In the book’s epilogue, a roundtable of ethicists and museum professionals reflects on how the essays can help us navigate the problems of today.

This is a timely contribution to scholarship on museum history and an invaluable resource for policymakers and heritage practitioners grappling with present-day ethical dilemmas.

Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781911507994
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