Museographic Heritage. Conserving and Enhancing the Exhibition Design Culture

In the last twenty years, museums have revised and enhanced the relationship with their past. Within this framework, the history of exhibition cultures and practices has become the object of new interpretations, uses and displays. The resulting raise of interest also led to the acknowledgment of the outstanding value of those 20th century display settings that have remained visible and operative, despite the ever-changing nature of museum spaces. These apparatuses represent a special form of heritage – that we may refer to as “museographic heritage” – which bears witness of the progressive development of modern exhibition design culture, documents outstanding solutions, contributes to the self-reflexive work that is being carried out in most institutions, and participates in the education of contemporary architects, artists, museologists and publics. Through the formulation of the notion of “museographic heritage”, the book aims at systematically organizing the available knowledge on this topic, that in existing literature only appeared through the insight on specific projects. This task is complemented by the identification and critical investigation of a selection of paradigmatic case studies, which allow for the highlighting of innovative approaches dedicated to the conservation of historical display systems, and the emergence of creative practices to enhance and integrate them into the life of contemporary museums.