I: KINDS OF MUSEUM

Dr. A. Ravisankar, Ph.D.,

General museums

General museums hold collections in more than one subject and are therefore sometimes
known as multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary museums. Many were founded in the 18th, 19th,
or early 20th century. Most originated in earlier private collections and reflected the encyclopaedic
spirit of the times. Certain general museums reflect the influence of cultural contact made through
trade. Some museums hold a number of important specialized collections that would qualify them
to be grouped in more than one category of specialization. This is true particularly of many of the
large general museums, which may have collections in one or more fields equal to if not exceeding
both the quantity and quality of material exhibited in a specialized museum. Some national
museums display general collections within their main building; indeed, many commenced in this
fashion, but the necessity of finding additional space later caused a division of the collections and
encouraged the growth of specialized museums.

Most common among general museums are those which serve a region or a locality. Many of
these owe their foundation to civic pride and a desire to promote knowledge of the area. They are
widespread in eastern and western Europe and are found as well in India, Australia, New Zealand,
and North and South America. Their prime responsibility is to reflect the natural and human
history, traditions, and creative spirit of the area. In many cases the community thus served is
culturally homogeneous. Where it is not, the museum may develop specific programs to foster
mutual understanding among the diverse peoples. In cities that have a sizable immigrant
population, such as, for example, Bradford or Leicester in England, the regional museum has
engaged actively in such work. Sometimes special exhibitions prepared by the national museum
or other agencies provide opportunities at regional museums for the community to appreciate the
wider aspects of the national or even international heritage.

Archaeology museums. They display archeological artifacts. They can be open-air museums or
they can exhibit items in a building.

Art museums. Also known as art galleries. They are spaces for showing art objects, most
commonly visual art objects as paintings, sculpture, photography, illustrations, drawings, ceramics
or metalwork. First publicly owned art museum in Europe was Amerbach-Cabinet in Basel (Now
Kunstmuseum Basel).

Encyclopedic museums. They are usually large institutions and they offer visitors a wide variety
of information on many themes, both local and global. They are not thematically defined nor
specialized.

Historic house museums. A house or a building turned into a museum for a variety of reasons,
most commonly because the person that lived in it was important or something important happened
in it. House is often equipped with furniture like it was in the time when it was used. Visitors of
the house learn through guides that tell story of the house and its inhabitants.
History museums. They collect objects and artifacts that tell a chronological story about particular
locality. Objects that are collected could be documents, artifacts, archeological findings and other.
They could be in a building, historic house or a historic site.

Living history museums. Type of a museum in which historic events are performed by actors to
immerse a viewer and show how certain events looked like or how some crafts were performed
because there is no other way to see them now because they are obsolete.

Maritime museums. Specialized museums for displaying maritime history, culture or

archaeology. Primarily archaeological maritime museums exhibit artifacts and preserved
shipwrecks recovered from bodies of water. Maritime history museums, show and educate the
public about humanity's maritime past.

Military and war museums. Museums specialized in military histories. Usually organized from
a point of view of a one nation and conflicts in which that country has taken part. They collect and
present weapons, uniforms, decorations, war technology and other objects.

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2. SPECIALIZED MUSEUMS:

Archaeology museums. They display archeological artifacts. They can be open-air museums or
they can exhibit items in a building.

Art museums. Also known as art galleries. They are spaces for showing art objects, most
commonly visual art objects as paintings, sculpture, photography, illustrations, drawings, ceramics
or metalwork. First publicly owned art museum in Europe was Amerbach-Cabinet in Basel (Now
Kunstmuseum Basel).

Maritime museums. Specialized museums for displaying maritime history, culture or

archaeology. Primarily archaeological maritime museums exhibit artifacts and preserved
shipwrecks recovered from bodies of water. Maritime history museums, show and educate the
public about humanity's maritime past.

Military and war museums. Museums specialized in military histories. Usually organized from
a point of view of a one nation and conflicts in which that country has taken part. They collect and
present weapons, uniforms, decorations, war technology and other objects.

Mobile museums. Museums that have no specific strict place of exhibiting. They could be
exhibited from a vehicle or they could move from museum to museum as guests. Also a name for
a parts of exhibitions of a museum that are sent to another museum.

Natural history museums. Usually display objects from nature like stuffed animals or pressed
plants. They educate about natural history, dinosaurs, zoology, oceanography, anthropology,
evolution, environmental issues, and more.
Open-air museums. Characteristic for exhibiting outdoors. Exhibitions consist of buildings that
recreate architecture from the past. First opened in Scandinavia near the end of the 19th century.

Pop-up museums. Nontraditional museum institutions. Made to last short and often relying on
visitors to provide museum objects and labels while professionals or institution only provide
theme. With that is constructed shared historical authority.

Science museums.

Specialized for science and history of science. In the beginning they were static displays of objects
but now they are made so the visitors can participate and that way better learn about different
branches of science.

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3. NATIONAL – REGIONAL – STATE MUSEUMS

Museums were established in National, Reginal level to enrich the knowledge, culture to the
society.
• Many Museums were established at National level, National Museum, at Delhi.
• Reginal and state level were also established
• Site Museum established at the archaeological sites.

National Museum:

The National Museum, New Delhi, as we see it today, has an interesting beginning. The
blueprint for establishing the National Museum in Delhi was prepared by the Maurice Gwyer
Committee in May 1946. An Exhibition of Indian Art, consisting of selected artefacts from various
museums of India was organized by the Royal Academy, London with the cooperation of
Government of India and Britain. The Exhibition went on display in the galleries of Burlington
House, London during the winter months of 1947-48. It was decided to display the same collection
in Delhi, before the return of exhibits to their respective museums. An exhibition was organized
in the the RashtrapatiBhawan (President's residence), New Delhi in 1949, which turned out to be
a great success. This event proved responsible for the creation of the National Museum.

The success of this Exhibition led to the idea that advantage should be taken of this
magnificent collection to build up the nucleus collection of the National Museum. State
Governments, Museum authorities and private donors, who had participated in the exhibition, were
approached for the gift or loan of artefacts, and most of them responded generously.

On August 15, 1949, the National Museum, New Delhi, was inaugurated in the Rashtrapati
Bhawan by Shri R.C. Rajagopalachari, the Governor-General of India. The foundation of the
present building was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, on May 12,
1955. The first phase of the National Museumbuilding was formally inaugurated by Dr.
SarvepalliRadhakrishnan, the Vice President of India, on December 18, 1960. The second phase
of the building was completed in 1989.
While the Museum continued to grow its collection through gifts that were sought painstakingly,
artefacts were collected through its Arts Purchase Committee. The Museum presently holds
approximately 2,00,000 objects of diverse nature, both Indian as well as foreign, and its holdings
cover a time span of more than five thousand years of Indian cultural heritage.

The National Museum was initially looked after by the Director General of Archaeology
until 1957, when the Ministry of Education, Government of India, declared it a separate institution
and placed it under its own direct control. At present, the National Museum is under the
administrative control of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.

Reginal Museum:
Established in 1851, Government Museum of Chennai is popular as the Madras Museum.
Factually being the second oldest museum of India (after Kolkata’s Indian Museum), this museum
is a treasure in itself! As a rich repository of finest masterpieces of art, archaeology, anthropology,
numismatics and much more, the Madras Museum assures to lure one and all.
Spread across an area of 16.25 acres of land, the Government Museum is also counted among the
largest museums of South Asia. Its campus has six independent buildings with 46 galleries. These
are:
Main building, where you will find artifacts and sculptures from the past, animal galleries,
botany galleries and philately gallery. Front building has a very interesting puppet gallery and
galleries preserving the folk art and music.
Bronze gallery – Besides the bronze artifacts, there are also numismatics and chemical
conservation galleries.
Children’s Museum is one section that fascinates all kids with is doll section, technology
and science galleries.
National Art Gallery has some excellent paintings and pieces of artistic marvels.
Contemporary Art Gallery – From rock and cave art to British portrait to modern art, one
can see how the art of ‘art’ has evolved over ages.
Government Museum Houses An Art Gallery, A Museum Theatre, Connemara Public
Library And Department Of Natural History. Government Museum Is An Amalgam Of Various
Sections Like The Ones Devoted To Geology, Anthropology, Numismatics, Botany, Zoology,
Archeology And Sculpture. Watch Out Exquisite Carvings, A Good Collection Of Arms, Armour,
A Collection Of South Indian Musical Instruments, Jewelry And Exhibits From The Stone And
Iron Ages.
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4. DISTRICT – SITEMUSEUMS – PRIVATE MUSEUMS

• Most of the districts in India had district level Museums. Ex: District Museum at
Coimbatore.
• Explore more historical values.
• Archaeological sites were encroached,

Private Museum

Unlike a public or governmental museum, a scientific monitoring and systematic

documentation is not always guaranteed. Therefore, a private museum has relevance for historical
research only if it complements the national collections. Under certain circumstances, a private
museum also receives funding from the state, so that a comparison with public museums is
possible.

Many, especially smaller, private museums do not meet the requirements of the
International Council of Museums (ICOM). The main reason is that qualified personnel are not
sufficiently available or can hardly be financed and therefore often only very limited opening times
may be offered.

Often private museums focus on entertainment and have a tourism focus. Their collections
are on display for the public to enjoy.