Hans Haacke

Brooke Marcy

 

 

A summery with supporting arguments for Hans Haacke essay Museum: Managers of Consciousness 

 

 

It is believed that the art world is an exalted entity untouched by the bureaucracy and politics found in other industries.  In reality, according to Hans Haacke this could not be farther from the truth. Vast amount of monetary exchange and political maneuvering are involved in the producing, buying, and selling of art, but admitting that the art world is driven by these influences jeopardizes the mystique and value associated with art.

 

There are two different types of art managers; the new comers with business degrees and little art knowledge, who believe that art is simply a product like any other, and the old timers trained on the job with knowledge of both art and business, who have played a significant role in the perpetuation of the ideology of art as an exalted industry.  With the sagging state of the economy, art industries trying to stay afloat are turning to those managers trained in business and not in art.  The problem with this is art is not a product, but a more intangible consciousness, thus the term “consciousness industry”. This consciousness is not universal but a social and societal reflection, which is produced by both artist and viewer alike.  By treating art as a product, this new brand of manager, will influence the production and perception of what art is. To survive, the art industry must keep a steady balance between this reality and perception.

 

 Art industries not only generate income for themselves, but they also generate income for surrounding shops, hotels and restaurants, as well as, having the ability to boost an areas reputation and desirability. Even the Governments realize the value of the art industry and keeps a sharp eye on the “distribution of consciousness” utilizing its appeal if the needs arise.

 

Two very important players in the Museum industry are the board members, who believe a Museum is a business like any other, and the powerful donors, who relish being connected to the exalted world of art.  Both have uncontested authority over the day-to-day workings of a Museum, as well as its staff and directors. To keep both the donors and the board members appease the Museum must simultaneously maintain an exalted façade, while retaining financial stability.

 

In recent years, Museums have been turning to large corporations for exhibition funding.  The larger and more elaborate the exhibition the more appealing it is to the corporate backers. Behold the birth of the “ blockbuster exhibition.”  The relationship between the Museums and the corporate sponsors is a reciprocal one. The Museum receives the funding making the exhibition possible, while the corporation becomes associated with the respectability of the Museum, thus changing the way it is perceived by the public.  This relationship, however, encourages Museums to produce exhibitions appealing to corporations, while leaving out smaller possibly more important exhibitions, effecting both art production and distribution.