Books in the Contemporary Issues in Museum Culture S. series

Museums were originally established as centres of high culture, intended to showcase the achievements of modern civilization. In the late 1990's this ideological role has been questioned. This book argues that museums provide the best means with which to understand and interpret popular culture.

Drawing on primary and secondary materials, this is a sociological interpretation of the rise of metropolitan art institutions and their role in modernism and the modernization of art in England. In particular, it looks at submerged artists and their interpretations of the art world.