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Arts & Communication Reflections on the issues of the Journal of the History of Collections

devoted to the re-excavation of historical turning points Table 2. Past research categories of Journal of the History of
that were once overlooked. Groundbreaking research has Collections
been done as to the loss of cultural relics of the Winter Palace
during the two world wars and communist movements as First stage: From 1989 to 2000
well as the Nazi-looted cultural relics and artworks that (1) Country case studies
were intended to be displayed in the unrealized Linz art (2) Social museums
gallery. (3) University museums

(3) In and after the first decade of the 21 century (4) Private museums
st
(5) Renaissance
In this stage, research methods in this field range across
disciplinary boundaries, and new approaches are being (6) Traditional categories of collections
embraced. For instance, ethnology and ethnography, which (7) Artists
have been practiced by archaeologists and social scientists, (8) Collectors
are now adopted by researchers. The study of collection (9) Collector circles
history, as a specialized discipline, has been augmented Second stage: From 2000 to 2010
by its vertical development, and its research interests have (10) Regional case studies
now expanded to include the history of writing, medicine, (11) Epochal shifts
technology, and biology.
(12) The extension of collection categories
In general, the 30 years of publication by the journal (13) Newly discovered ancient ruins
can be categorized into 26 groups, as shown in Table 2. (14) Ethnology
3. Shifts in collectors’ identities, motives for (15) Ethnography
collecting, and collection categories (16) Photography and architectural rendering
(17) The collection of scientific instruments
As stated above, all the changes are unfolded in three major (18) Critique of collecting activities
stages, of which the underlying causes lie in the most
important research subjects in the more recent practices (19) Reconstructing art spaces
of the history of collections, namely, collectors, collection (20) The history of ornithology
categories, and motives for collecting. (21) International cultural heritage preservation
History tells that ruling-class collectors, for centuries, (22) Modern art exhibitions
are the only group that could afford large-scale art Third stage: After 2010
collections. However, the extent of recognition a collector (23) Ancient writing and epigraphy
receives varies according to the times they belong to. This (24) The history of medicine
is due to what the academia refers to as “the iteration of (25) The history of technology
collectors,” which can be divided into three major periods. (26) The history of biology
Collectors in the first period often enjoy high social status
as members of the royal families, aristocrats, and monks. museums of school history), and responsibility for public
Collecting, for them, is an act of worship and hedonic education.
gratification, a way of possessing and showing off, as well
as a form of embodied esthetics. Collectors in the second As far as the collecting activity is concerned,
period are mainly industrialists, as represented by collecting purchasing artworks that are openly circulated in the
activities taking place in modern America. These collectors market remains one of the most convenient and common
include Carnegie, Frick, Mellon, and Havemeyer. Bankers ways of collecting. However, there are different control
such as Morgan and Altman are also engaged in collecting. mechanisms that place restrictions on art transactions in
Their motivations for collecting are for charity, upward different historical periods, regardless in the East or the
mobility, and patriotism. The third period is characterized West. Besides, we should note that cultural relics or art
by collectors who may be property developers, tech pieces are not only expensive items, but they also require
professionals, luxury giants, and various organizations careful transportation, preservation, and maintenance.
with display and publicity needs. The purpose of collection They endow individuals with enormous social capital
has changed into investment diversification, transmission exclusive access to art collections in many historical
of brand values, communication of organizational values periods. However, as the transformation of social systems
along with internal training (corporate museums and gradually changes the pattern of wealth distribution,

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2023) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.359