museum

Table of Contents

Introduction
History
- Etymology
  - From mouseion to museum
  - Museology and museography
- The precursors of museums
  - Evidence from antiquity
  - Classical collecting
  - Asia and Africa
  - Medieval Europe
  - Renaissance Italy
  - Royal collections
  - Specialized personal collections
  - Collections of learned societies
- Toward the modern museum
  - From private collection to public exhibition
    - Public collections
    - The first public museums
      The Ashmolean
      The British Museum
      The Louvre
      Museums in Rome and the Vatican
      Other European collections
    - The spread of the European model
  - Museums and national identity
    - Central Europe
    - Museums of antiquities
    - Influence of industry and science
    - The United States
    - Other national and regional museums
  - The first museum boom
    - Europe
    - South America
    - Asia
    - Africa
- The 20th and 21st centuries
  - Early period of reassessment
  - Post-World War II era
    - Museums and the public
    - Museums and the environment
    - Museums and public finance
    - New museums and collections
Types of museums
- General museums
- Natural history and natural science museums
- Science and technology museums
- History museums
- Art museums
- Virtual museums
Museum structure and operations
- Building design and function
- Museum organization
  - Administration
  - Management
  - Funding
    - Public and private sources
    - Entrance fees
    - Commercial activities
  - Support organizations
  - Museum cooperation
- Museum activities
  - Collection
    - Acquisition policies
    - Legality
    - Protection of cultural property
  - Conservation
  - Documentation
  - Research
  - Exhibition
  - Educational services
  - Information services

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

National Gallery of Art

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Learn about the redesigned de Young Museum of Art, California

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Images

National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art

Interior of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

© Anna Krivitskaia/Dreamstime.com

Louvre

Louvre

Louvre Museum, Paris.

© Alvesgaspar

British Museum, London

British Museum, London

British Museum, London, at dusk.

Dennis Marsico/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

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British Museum

British Museum

British Museum, London.

© Edmund Chai/Shutterstock.com

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum

Louvre Museum, Paris, with pyramid designed by I.M. Pei.

© Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Prado Museum

Prado Museum

Prado Museum, Madrid.

© SeanPavonePhoto/Shutterstock.com

Alte Pinakothek

Alte Pinakothek

Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

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Indian Museum

Indian Museum

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Smithsonian Institution

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Royal Ontario Museum

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Kunsthistorisches Museum

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Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria.

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Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum

Tokyo National Museum.

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Hermitage

Hermitage

Interior of the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.

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Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers: Centre Georges Pompidou

Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers: Centre Georges Pompidou

Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers (1977).

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Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum

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Jean Nouvel: Louvre Abu Dhabi

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Interior of the Louvre Museum, Paris.

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