Future of Museums in Lebanon & the Middle East

Dar El-Nimer for Arts and Culture, in collaboration with Letitia Beirut, presents ‘Future of Museums in Lebanon and the Middle East’, a talk featuring Iain Robertson and Roxane Zand from Sotheby's.

State-run institutions have historically been dominated by restrictive guidelines - financial or otherwise. In the Western world, museums suffer from funding constraints, whereas in emerging economies there are public duties or religious dictums which present a different type of restriction. Private museums reflect the passion and collecting interests of the private individual - they may not be representative nor historically comprehensive, but a unique kind of freedom allows for an expressive communication when the transition is made to become a public space.

Each type of institution has benefits and drawbacks, but the two complement each other and increasingly complete the rut world landscape. By looking at a handful of examples in the USA, Europe and MENA, we examine the diversity of privately-owned public collections and museums, and what makes them special. Dr Iain Robertson will be signing his book 'New Art, New Markets' after the talk.