Not So Into Museums
This month’s topic in the Blogger Stammtisch is museums. But you see, I am not much of a museum person.
When you read about what is going on in a city, often you end up with a list of museums. I usually skip this section in the guidebook. If this is the only thing on offer, I look for cafes and squares to watch people instead. I find spending a half a day in a museum to not really be on my list of fun things to do.
Ok, well mostly not..
There are a few types of museums I do actually enjoy. I like the kind of museums you would take a 12 year old to and expect him to enjoy it.
- I like natural history museums. Seeing dinosaur skeletons and bugs preserved in goo
- I like science museums with experiments you can play with. Building bridges of metal fillings with magnets or rolling balls down inclines.
Just not so into art museums..
And while I have been to a number of art museums that I did quite enjoy, they all begin to blend together for me. I definitely like art and artists a lot, but often the massive museum format is overwhelming.So while I can certainly list some of the museums I have been to in the world, I remember so very few pieces of art from them.
The art museums I do like come from the specific exhibits not the museum as a whole. I went to a Toulouse La Trec exhibit in Vienna a number of years ago. That was fantastic. An hour is my limit to looking at such stuff though. I have been to Salvador Dali exhibits a few times and like his work as well. But again focused exhibits not a wide open “best of..” museum of art.
Travel as a 12 Year Old
So back to the travel as a 12 year old thing. I try to travel with the open and curious mind of a kid. This often means I end up with a similar sense of humor while traveling, but that is ok. And despite that child mental state I like a lot of grown up things too. I am fascinated by history, but I want to see buildings and scenes of history not tiny fragments of a bronze knife next to a scientific catalog description of it.
If a museum can make the subject more interactive and “alive” for me, I am happier in it. In 12 year old form, if there is too much reading involved I get bored. I love to read, but often the plaques and description panels are written for accuracy, not to awaken the interest of the reader.
It’s about shared passions
If a museum can make history or science come alive in my mind, then I am totally up for it. If an art museum can connect me with a period of history I like in an inspirational way, then I am into it too. I am totally into Art Nouveau so seeing art that evokes the time period excites me and matches to my passions. And actually all the better if it is a menu or a calendar.
The comic center in Brussels was similar to this as well. Comics are cool and it was presented in a way that drew me in a way that the high ceilings of one of the world famous art museums does not.
So I guess the museum thing is about passions and interests. Museums are put together (hopefully) by people that have a passion for the subject and want to share it. If I don’t share that passion to that extent, then I am not going to be into that museum. And really I have a passion for a more visceral history than archeological remains can evoke. I need a museum that fits those passions and causes my imagination to swirl. Most museums just don’t do that for me.
Museums that have left an impression
Pergamon, Berlin : They have an entire temple from Turkey rebuilt in a room. It feels like walking in history. Similar sense to walking around ruins, where that sense of “being in a museum” drops away. Several other areas have large reconstructions of architecture that I liked, though I could have done with skipping the archaeology “fragments under glass” style things.
Deutsches Museum, Munich : THE technical museum in Germany. Natural history sections with animals and skeletons as well as several levels of airplanes and rockets. It felt much closer to interactive although you can’t touch anything.
Mucha Museum, Prague : It is small, but I really like Mucha as an artist so it intrigued me to hear about his life and see the evolution of his art.
Museum of Modern Art, New York : Ok, the first few floors were quite interesting. The vivid colors and random splotches of “modern art”. There was even a stainless steel bunny that looked like a balloon. Then the upper levels made me go “this is what passes as art?”. Half a toilet bolted to the wall? And the little corner with the fire door that was buzzing that we really couldn’t decide if it was art or a problem.
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco : This is the science museum in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. My aunt used to take me every time I visited her in the city and it was wonderful. All sciencey and interesting. This was a time when I really WAS 12 years old and it must have just stuck.
So do you like museums? What kinds?
Also check out the other Blogger Stammtisch participants for their thoughts on museums.
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July 12, 2013 @ 9:24 am
[…] am not so into museums in general. The most famous art does not usually thrill me and statues can often be just creepy. I did really […]
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June 26, 2013 @ 1:10 pm
[…] have mentioned a few times about traveling as a 12year old. This was one of those days. The experience was geeky, fun and well worth a daytrip from Brussels […]
May 31, 2013 @ 9:45 pm
Heh, ..I would tend to agree. Museums tend to be a little underwhelming.
June 4, 2013 @ 9:28 am
It depends. I like science museums with interaction. I like zoos which are kind of like museums for live animals on display. I don’t mind art museums, but can really only look at paintings of a specific style for a few minutes before I want something different. I can’t really appreciate the “brush strokes”.
Do you have any type of museum you actually like? Cool blog name btw.
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January 27, 2013 @ 9:17 am
[…] for 2013 is to “See the World with a sense of wonderment“. For me this partially means traveling like a 12 year old. So looking at travel and the world with the fascination that children seem to be so good […]
December 21, 2012 @ 12:00 pm
Being an avid enthusiast of art, I can’t say that I’m not into museums. However, great post. I will add Metropolitan Museum of Art to your list.
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November 14, 2012 @ 9:07 am
[…] I travel, I tend to be like a 12 yearold. I like neat stuff. So riding in the tram was just fun. It was also a consolation from missing out […]
October 21, 2012 @ 12:18 pm
I’m very much the same way on Museums- I like things with interactivity. I loved the vehicles on display at the Deutsches Museum.
October 22, 2012 @ 11:14 pm
Glad so many people agree with me. 🙂 I wonder if there is a video game museum somewhere in Germany.
October 18, 2012 @ 6:13 pm
I’m also not a huge museum person and the ones that I do enjoy are the smaller quirky ones. I also find that I get much more out of a place by exploring it rather than spending my time inside museums.
October 18, 2012 @ 2:47 pm
Museums are good in moderation… if that’s all I do then yeah… bored!
October 19, 2012 @ 10:20 pm
That is a good point. The size of most museums means that moderation is out the window. Wing 4A of 19 kind of thing.
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October 17, 2012 @ 6:04 am
[…] building in a photo, this glass pyramid is certainly iconic of the museum. Normally Andy and I are not into museums, but I highly recommend visiting this one at least once. BufferRelated posts:Gozo, MaltaFirst 6 […]
October 16, 2012 @ 8:57 pm
I also agree with you here. I think art museums are nice and everything but I love love love weird and quirky ones! My favorites have been the pharmacy museum in Krakow, the cat art museum in Amsterdam and the museum of miniatures in Besalu. 🙂
October 19, 2012 @ 10:20 pm
Cat art? Isn’t that what the internet is for? Miniature what though? Scenes, people, cupcakes?
There is a sex toys museum off the main square in Prague. I kept walking by it intrigued, but the price to go in is pretty steep and I skipped it.
October 16, 2012 @ 6:08 pm
I never thought I would be a big fan of museums. However, I always like visiting them. I am not big on art in daily life but enjoy exploring them when I travel. I am not sure why. Maybe it’s going back in time or those peaceful countryside paintings. Interactive museums are fun too. However, I’ve lived in California for years and have yet to visit the California Academy of Sciences even though it’s always intrigued me.
October 19, 2012 @ 10:18 pm
Definitely go see the CAS if you are in SanFran. I remember it as being really awesome, but then I was 12 at the time. Not been back as an “adult”.
I do like art in general, but the museum setting does not seem to be the best place for me to enjoy it.
October 16, 2012 @ 4:56 pm
We could not agree more. We enjoy modern art museums and natural history museums, but we generally will enjoy those at quite a clip, which is why we never visit a museum with other travelers.
October 19, 2012 @ 10:17 pm
You need to be able to go at your own pace. Whether that pace is fast or slow. I am always the faster of the group. And most museums lack seating to rest while you wait for friends.
October 15, 2012 @ 4:07 pm
Have to agree with you — I’d much rather spend time in a really cool technical or natural history museum than an art gallery! We were just at the Technik museum here in Berlin and it’s also a rather cool one — especially the planes in the upper floors since they have managed to salvage several from the war. I’m also a big of the Smithsonian museums back in DC! 🙂
October 19, 2012 @ 10:16 pm
If you haven’t yet head down to check out the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Entire sections of planes and rockets. My dad had a great time wandering.