Eleventh International Conference on The Inclusive Museum

Abstract

Art exhibitions have long been considered as cultural and educational exercises and the entry is usually free or kept to a minimum cost at most museums and galleries. When blockbuster exhibitions advertised as ‘an event never to happen again’ are held, the price charged for entry can be considerable. It was reported that an Italian consumer group is planning legal action on behalf of visitors (total 98,000) to a ‘fake’ Modigliani exhibition in Genoa last year. It seems that commercial law is applied for both the organizers and visitors when a fee was charged. By hosting the exhibition, the curator and director of the gallery have raised unprecedented legal and professional conflict/dilemmas, although they are themselves ‘the victims of fraud’. What can museums and galleries learn from this case? The author argues that this case highlights the need for increased professional consciousness.