Works of Art as Displayed in Museums

Works of Art, As They're Displayed in Museums

Here's a collection of photos of well known paintings as they appear in some of the finest museums of the world. Its purpose is to give a viewer some sense of the physical size of the works, how they're framed and how they're hung. The photos aren't intended to be high-quality reproductions of iconic images, which can be found in books and elsewhere on the web.

Some issues associated with photographing paintings in public museums are discussed below the picture collection.

Artist	Title, Museum, Location, Date Viewed	Thumbnail (Click for larger image)	Comment
Edgar Degas	Absinthe Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		-
Thomas Eakins	The Champion Single Sculls (Max Schmitt in a Single Scull) Metropolitan, New York May, 2012		-
Vincent Van Gogh	Self Portrait with Straw Hat Metropolitan, New York May, 2012		Other Van Gogh paintings are in the same room.
Vincent Van Gogh	Starry Night Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Jasper Johns	Target with Four Faces Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Fernand Leger	Three Women Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		This work was displayed in the "Picasso to Warhol" exhibition at the High Museum, Atlanta, February, 2012.[1]
Emanuel Leutze	Washington Crossing the Delaware Metropolitan, New York May, 2012		It's huge.
Roy Lichtenstein	Girl with Ball Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Edouard Manet	The Balcony Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		-
Edouard Manet	Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		-
Edouard Manet	Olympia Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		-
Henri Matisse	Dance (I) Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		This work was displayed in the "Picasso to Warhol" exhibition at the High Museum, Atlanta, February, 2012.[1]
Piet Mondrian	Broadway Boogie Woogie Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Claude Monet	Water Lilies Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Claude Monet	Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		Compare with painting of same title by Manet.
Claude Monet	Water Lillies Musee de Orangerie, Paris May, 2008		-
Pablo Picasso	Les Demoiselles d'Avignon Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Pablo Picasso	Girl Before a Mirror Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		This work was displayed in the "Picasso to Warhol" exhibition at the High Museum, Atlanta, February, 2012.[1]
Pablo Picasso	Three Musicians Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
Jackson Pollock	One: Number 31, 1950 Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-
John Singer Sargent	Madame X Metropolitan, New York May, 2012		-
Andy Warhol	Mao Metropolitan, New York May, 2012		-
James McNeill Whistler	Portrait in Gray and Black Musee d'Orsay, Paris May, 2008		Also known as "Whistler's Mother".
Andrew Wyeth	Christina's World Museum of Modern Art, New York May, 2012		-

Problems Photographing Art in Public Museums. The main problem is that most art museums don't permit photography. Of those that do allow it, none that I'm aware of allows the flash. Picture quality is then dependent on the ambient lighting. If the light is low, the photo will be blurry.

Another problem is crowding. Popular works often have crowds around them, so it's hard to frame a shot giving an unobstructed view of a painting and its surroundings. (Note the extraneous finger in the photo of Picasso's Girl Before a Mirror.)

These problems were illustrated in a recent visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York. At the time of that visit, the MOMA was hosting a multi-room Cindy Sherman exhibition, where photography wasn't permitted. Non-flash photography was, however, allowed elsewhere in this huge museum but the light level varied considerably from room to room.

One of the most popular paintings in the MOMA's permanent collection was Van Gogh's Starry Night, which is seen above. Around it was a persistent crowd, many members of which were clicking away with their smartphones and digital cameras. The light level in this room was marginal for non-flash photography and sometimes a flash would go off. This would prompt immediate intervention by a security guard, who'd lecture the offender about museum rules.

The ubiquity of smartphone cameras with good light sensitivity presents an enforcement problem for museum managers. The problem is most severe in museums that are frequently packed with visitors. I noticed some illegal picture-taking recently at the Guggenheim in New York and I've heard that such violations are now blatant at the Ufizzi in Florence. How can museums enforce their rules without creating a prison-like atmosphere for art lovers? I suspect they'll eventually give up and change the rules.

[1] Photography by the general public was not permitted at the High Museum's "Picasso to Warhol" exhibition. However, the rules may have been overlooked for a party on January 28, 2012.