Art Museums: Changes in their Social Function

Art museums still have an essential role, both for the art world and the wider society. This thesis deals mainly with their transformation and challenges they have to face in relation to contemporary society. It focuses on the development of museums, the transformation of values they embody and also on changes in normative expectations in conjunction with them. The paper also discusses the role of museums with increasing emphasis on their educational role, because this role could help museums to succeed in their current efforts to open to the wider audience. Today, these attempts to democratize represent crucial task of art museums. These efforts, however, depend on the concept of aesthetic taste which the paper also deals with. To be successful, it is desirable to view taste as a skill that can be cultivated through education. Since those who influence success in this field are museum professionals, this work deals also with their position within the museums and the art world and the strategies which are used by them. The fundamental shifts in art museums and their responses to the demands of the public occurred as a result of institutional critique that began in the 60's of last century. The new museology, critical curating and relational aesthetics can be included under this trend. As these..