When visiting museums, many of us can relate to and have fond memories of perusing the gift shop for something special to take home with us. While it’s easy to write off museum gift shops as just a fun novelty or way for museums to make a little extra money, there’s an argument to be made that they are just as important as the museum experience itself!
Today, we´re going to explain why art museum gifts are more important than most think, and why it’s worth shopping online for art prints and other museum gifts in order to support both the museums in question and your own love of the arts!
Art Museum Gifts Shape Our Understanding Of Art
It takes years of study and contemplation for many to start appreciating the subtleties of art pieces and particular styles and techniques. Take Vincent Van Gogh for example. The Dutch painter lived in poverty and he could only sell one of his paintings before his tragic death. His paintings had to be shown in galleries and exhibits for decades for critics and art collectors to take notice of his genius and unique style.
Museum curators understand this phenomenon and know that repeated exposure to relevant or influential works of art tends to enhance people’s attitudes towards them or heighten their cultural awareness. The more we see a piece of art, the more likely we are to appreciate it as something worth admiring or, at least, discussing.
There is a conversation to be had about who decides what pieces are worthy of our admiration. This has always been a contentious topic, but most reputed institutions, like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, have always displayed a balanced and healthy exposition of museum art gifts that are in line with current trends yet strike a balance between different periods of art history.
Active Patronage
Everyone knows the importance museums have for preserving the history of our society and exposing the public to cultures around the world. But storing, preserving, and displaying works of art requires resources. Museum art gift shops allow patrons to provide continued patronage to these efforts and have something tangible in return. This is often in the form of high-quality prints that are part of a pedigreed collection on display, or decorative and practical items like puzzles and stationery that can only be found in the museum’s gift shop.
People have always been drawn to gift shops, and they have become an integral part of visiting important cultural institutions and places of significance. Visitors want to remember their tour for years to come and bring something with them to that effect. Every time they see that Monet-inspired fridge magnet, or whenever they wear a Hokusai’s Great-Wave-themed silk scarf.
Another Side to the Experience the Museum Offers
Curators and art experts are, among other things, responsible for assembling the art exhibitions and collections. They do it in ways that place their most striking features under the spotlight while providing visitors with a complete and immersive experience.
Visiting a museum’s gift shop gives you an opportunity to bring part of that experience with you and put it on display in the innermost sanctity of your home. Whether it be in the form of a pair of art-themed socks, a high-quality art print or poster, a mug, or an art puzzle that will offer hours of reflective and creative enjoyment, museum gift shops allow you to enjoy the experience of relishing art long after you’ve left.
With the advent of online shopping, customers can now provide continued patronage to museums without visiting the premises. The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has an online store with delicately crafted products for the perfect museum art gift. Visit their website, and browse through their curated collections of books, matted prints, puzzles, scarves, fine jewelry, and much more.
