A nude and train windows or the changing constancy
A few possibilities for occasionally changing permanent exhibitions
MúzeumCafé 50.
What can a museum do if it has no possibility of refreshing its permanent exhibition, if it remains almost as a museum historical curiosity, and is not satisfied with simply presenting its latest research results in temporary exhibitions, events and publications? What opportunities does a museum have to show that its several-decades-old permanent exhibition no longer reflects its collection and research activity, because it lacks the means of implementing an up-to-date museum practice? Does it ruin or increase the prestige of a museum if it interferes in the space and theme of its own permanent exhibition, considered the most important transmitter of an institutional message? “A museum with no permanent exhibition, or with one which is dry and meaningless, cannot be called a museum and it will not be able to fulfil its educational function, even if it replaces a boring permanent exhibition with an unceasing series of temporary exhibitions which, due to their character, do not make up a homogenous system from an informational aspect.” (Giovanni Pinna, The Museum of Today, 1980). The majority of museums still agree with the first part of the statement. There are only a few institutions which have broken with the display practice built on permanent exhibitions and present often changing exhibitions from their own collections, such as Budapest’s Ludwig Museum or Vienna’s Albertina in Vienna. As for the second part, is the identity of a museum damaged if its permanent exhibition becomes out-of-date? Certainly, and problems with permanent exhibitions concern an increasing number of people – both experts and visitors. In October the national conference about the further training of ethnography museologists focused on their permanence and transience.