(Updated) San Francisco's de Young Museum Bans Sketching In Special Exhibition, Thumbs Nose At Centuries Of Artistic Tradition

Details of the silliness are here. Best part of the story is the photograph of an artist setting up an easel and full array of paints in the Louvre. The French win again.

UPDATE: The Assistant Director of Communications from the de Young contacted me this morning, and explained that one of the reasons the museum adopted the no-sketch policy for this special exhibition is the volume of people who want to see it. Seems to me that implicates even more interesting questions: What is the point of the exhibition, and how important is it to provide an opportunity for a deeper and more lengthy interaction with the works on display?

Comments

I admire the author's words when he said "They seek comprehension through emulation, as artists have throughout time." Let's be realistic, not all exhibitions come out drawing crowds as much as Harry Potter does weeks before opening night in the theater. Maybe they should implement the policy ONLY when the exhibit needs crowd control.

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