When we think about museums, we remember institutions like the Hermitage Museum, the Louvre, Tate Modern and couple dozen other large museums. Everyone associates these institutions with their great capabilities and many employees and recognize them among the most significant social, tourism, infrastructural and even political institutions. The contribution of these museums to the life of the city and the world is truly invaluable. Private museums, however, became known as far back as during the peak of the Medici era; more than 70% of all private museums we have today appeared over the past 20 years.
What is the role of private museums in today's world? Can the explosive growth of the number of private museums opening today mean the beginning of the new era of museums? Can present-day private museums exert as powerful an influence on the cultural landscape as state institutions do? How do private and state museums interact?
