The Pendulum Swing: Curatorial Theory Past and Present

Abstract

This chapter explores the evolving nature and status of curatorial theory in the museum. Simply stated, curatorial theory may be defined as the complex compendia of ideas and beliefs that shape and inform curatorial work. Drawing on sources ranging from early twentieth‐century museum literature to contemporary interviews with museum curators, directors, and theorists, this examination traces the historical development of curatorship and aims to give voice to the experience of past and present participants within the museum field. This exploration operates under the assumption that theory and practice are fundamentally intertwined; when we speak of one we necessarily invoke the other. Guided by this conviction, it endeavors to focus attention on the commonality that is to be found in the experience of curators of various disciplines. Simultaneously, it seeks to engender a more nuanced awareness of some of the subtle continuities (and discontinuities) that connect (and separate) the ideas and practices of curators to one another across space and time.

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