ICOM International Council of Museums - Museo Estancia Jesuitica ...

1655) 1 , the “Museo Cospiano” (Bologna/Italia, 1677), Valentini’s “Museum Museorum”
(1704), Caspar Friedrich Neickelius’ “Museographia” (1727). 2
Assuming that, in the Age of Late Renaissance works of art were considered of equal
status as Naturalia. Neither curiosities and relics nor the various materials and the
variety of objects may surprise.
Let’s go forward and think about Museum Theory, particularly the Theory of Fine Arts
and the Theory of Natural Sciences.
The Theory of Fine Arts refers particularly to the famous “Theory of Fine Arts” of
Johann Georg Sulzer (1720-1779). This was the first representation and description of
the Performing and Fine Arts, of Music, as well as of Literature and Rhetoric in the
German-speaking area. This “Theory of Fine Arts” is dealing with basic terms of the
aesthetic which is of great importance for museum issues until now. The terms relate
for example to the essence, benefit and sensuous force of art, to the history and
language of various phenomena of the arts as well as to the vocabulary. 3
As another example Carl von Linné from Sweden may be mentioned. Being a natural
scientist and professor for Astronomy and Medicine he emphasised in his main
publication with the title “Systema Naturae” (1735) 4 particularly on collections of Natural
Sciences. Even the “Philosophia Botanica” (1751) fixed the recently discovered
system.
Concerning Museology and History is particularly to emphasise on Education in
Museum, Museum History in the 20 th and Museum Future starting from the 21 st
Century. There is more and more the necessity or paying attention to the Social
Sciences with the phenomena of Migration, Neighborhood, Forum for World-Cultures –
a critical view to Museums of Ethnology – and the New Museology with its relationship
to Economics, Industry and Techniques related to men and environment. Considering
the functions of the Museums Social Life and Education are setting up priorities.
Museums of Ethnology which were for a long time a kind of “Art Museums” are
becoming more and more museums giving critical comments in their presentation:
Related to the Museum for Ethnology in Munich I could experience that Traditional and
Contemporary Art are closely connected: While masks in the African Art and cultural
understanding since ever played an important role, they are also involved in the recent
presentation: Masks produced from garbage (left by Europeans in countries of Africa)
may imagine how the African Continent was affected by the so-called latest
acquisitions of the European deformation of culture.
This may on the one hand emphasize on the importance of the Ethical Rules set by the
International Council of Museums (ICOM), and on the other hand on the importance of
Education which must be connected with all we arrange between Museology, History
and Future and the fields of knowledge.
Namely, the term of the “Museum” is itself History – but it may also create ideas for the
world-wide future of the Museum.
The contributions in these ICOFOM Study Series are of great variety. They show both
Museology as a theoretical and applied Science from international ways of looking at
Museology and History.
Dr. Hildegard K. Vieregg
President of ICOFOM Munich, August 2006
1 Museum Wormianum (presented by Olaf Worm, 1588-1654). 1655.
2 Neickelius, Caspar Friedrich: Museographia .....”. Leipzig 1727.
3 Deloche, Bernhard, L’ésthetique de Johann Georg Sulzer (1720-1779), Lyon 2005. This most
important publication refers to contributions of a symposium at the University of Lyon in November
2003. Prof. Bernhard Deloche is since years a member of ICOFOM.
4 Linné, Carl von, Caroli Linnaei Systema Naturae, Halae Magdeburgicae, 10. IAC, CVRT, 1751.
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