AR May 2023: Museums

Are museums in crisis? Their founding ideals are under intense scrutiny: the ‘universal’ histories they purport to tell often belie the colonial origins of their collections, while their commitment to amassing and preserving artefacts, artworks and specimens have resulted in overflowing depots. Meanwhile, large western museum are franchising their names to culture districts around the world and commissioning ‘starchitects’ to imbue their brands with the much-vaunted quality of iconicity. AR May 2023 pays a visit to the museum, asking what challenges face cultural institutions today – and ultimately, how they impact architecture.