Rebecca Nison asks industry professionals why the model for a modern art gallery became the white cube – finding a mixture of commercial support and an ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ attitude.
Four white walls and appropriate lighting is the go-to, de facto way of presenting art. But it hasn’t always been that way. The existence of art galleries in general is a relatively new concept in the grand scheme of history. So how did it standardize so quickly? Why is the white cube the “best” place to present art, commercially and institutionally? Will it always be this way?
The answer involves everything from the rise of ascetic Protestantism, Soviet contrarianism, Zen reflection... Keep reading on Hopes&Fears
Four white walls and appropriate lighting is the go-to, de facto way of presenting art. But it hasn’t always been that way. The existence of art galleries in general is a relatively new concept in the grand scheme of history. So how did it standardize so quickly? Why is the white cube the “best” place to present art, commercially and institutionally? Will it always be this way?
The answer involves everything from the rise of ascetic Protestantism, Soviet contrarianism, Zen reflection... Keep reading on Hopes&Fears