Futuristic Landscape by Ushio18 (via DeviantArt)
The concept of the ‘museum without walls’ was first coined by André Malraux in 1947. He then referred to it as Le Musee imaginaire, which translated means: the imaginary museum. Malraux realized that it was now possible to for works of art to go beyond the museum by the means of photography. The effect this has on the work of art is that it looses its original meaning and significance as well as all textuality specific to the material of the artwork.
Malraux accepted the change that photography brought and saw it usefull. Yet he saw photography of art only as legitimate when used in the service of art.
We can think of the internet in the same way as early photographic reproduction of art. Though possibly more like a double-edged sword. The internet can be a great way of showing and distributing photographs and videos of art. For example on internet site of a museum it can offer previews and reviews of the current and upcoming exhibtions, creating an interest for potential viewers. Though if the quality is high it can also support the circulation of unauthorised copies and so it can result in losses in poster sales or some internet users may feel they do not need to visit a museum anymore after seeing the work of the artist online.
L.
