When I was appointed chairman of the Horniman Museum, after an excellent briefing from the director, I was recommended this book by Giles Waterfield.
The novel is a wickedly funny send up that covers a tumultuous day in the life of the Museum of British History as it prepares for an exhibition centring on an almost unknown painting by Gainsborough, owned by the chairman of the trustees.
The chief curator has worries about the provenance of the picture, the head of exhibitions is at daggers drawn with his deputy head, the German head of conservation has scruples, the head of security is constantly looking at his battery of video screens, and the museum director is torn between scholarly work and hopes for his career.
At the board meeting of trustees, the chairman unveils his plans for a major new galley called The Nowness of Now - a new concept about "people, not objecs, intensely of today, a place not for the elite, but for all".
As various trustees jump on the bandwagon, the academic trustee puts in a superb plea for the original purpose of the museum; to collect, preserve, display and interpret objects, underpinned by scholarship.
The novel ends with a fantastic slapstick scene at the exhibition banquet, when the catering goes awry, and the truth about the picture is revealed. It’s a delightful and provocative romp through the undergrowth of museum people and practice.
Timothy Hornsby is the chairman of the Horniman Museum and Gardens
The novel is a wickedly funny send up that covers a tumultuous day in the life of the Museum of British History as it prepares for an exhibition centring on an almost unknown painting by Gainsborough, owned by the chairman of the trustees.
The chief curator has worries about the provenance of the picture, the head of exhibitions is at daggers drawn with his deputy head, the German head of conservation has scruples, the head of security is constantly looking at his battery of video screens, and the museum director is torn between scholarly work and hopes for his career.
At the board meeting of trustees, the chairman unveils his plans for a major new galley called The Nowness of Now - a new concept about "people, not objecs, intensely of today, a place not for the elite, but for all".
As various trustees jump on the bandwagon, the academic trustee puts in a superb plea for the original purpose of the museum; to collect, preserve, display and interpret objects, underpinned by scholarship.
The novel ends with a fantastic slapstick scene at the exhibition banquet, when the catering goes awry, and the truth about the picture is revealed. It’s a delightful and provocative romp through the undergrowth of museum people and practice.
Timothy Hornsby is the chairman of the Horniman Museum and Gardens
