History and methods of documentation in Indian museums: System of documentation in modern art museums

Pages: 324-328
Kiran Bala (Research Scholar, Singhania University, Rajasthan)

Museums acquire objects and create collections because the objects convey a significant message or messages. These may be variously historical, religious, economic, technological, and so on. When an object is moved from its place of origin and its context, its significance is reduced and becomes more reliant on the documentation linked to it. Furthermore, when an object arrives at a museum, it begins a “new life”: it will be studied, positioned, exhibited, restored, loaned and transferred, and will be placed alongside many other objects. It will thus be necessary to identify it in a unique way, and to facilitate the management of every aspect of this new life. The value of a collection (whether it be for purposes of research, education or interpretation), its safety and its accessibility therefore depend to a large extent on the quality of the documentation associated with it.