Art Exhibition of Renaissance Age - Roles of Museum Curator and Exemplary Works

The report analyses the different roles of a curator of a museum and the different ways that they are supposed to manage the museum. The different problem and challenges faced by the curator along with the different capabilities needed to address the issues are presented in the report. The exemplary works are presented and justified for their need in the art exhibition of Renaissance Age.

Running head: ART EXHIBITION OF RENAISSANCE AGE
ART EXHIBITION OF RENAISSANCE AGE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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ART EXHIBITION OF RENAISSANCE AGE
Executive Summary
The report analyses the different roles of a curator of a museum and the different ways that they
are supposed to manage the museum. The different problem and challenges faced by the curator
along with the different capabilities needed to address the issues are presented in the report. The
exemplary works are presented and justified for their need in the art exhibition of Renaissance
Age.

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ART EXHIBITION OF RENAISSANCE AGE
Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Roles of Museum Curator................................................................................................................3
Five Art Works................................................................................................................................4
Exhibit 1: Magdalene Penitent by Donatello...............................................................................5
Exhibit 2: Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci..........................................................................6
Exhibit 3: Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci................................................................6
Exhibit 4: Mappa dell’Inferno by Botticelli................................................................................7
Exhibit 5: The creation of Adam by Michelangelo.....................................................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8

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ART EXHIBITION OF RENAISSANCE AGE
Introduction
A museum curator has to play multiple roles in presenting the different aspects of the
presented articles. Being a museum curator one has divergent responsibilities which include
managing the museum, maintaining a record of documentation, managing the employees and
event management and planning and other such responsibilities (Longair). The subject of the
exhibition is to give the audience a complete overview of the art forms of the Renaissance period
in the Fifteenth Century Italy. As a curator of the Two Rivers Gallery, it is my plan to organize
an exhibit focussed on Italian Renaissance Art. The Renaissance age was the revival of the
different art forms from the binds of the different middle ages and revived the ancient Greece-
Roman art styles. Renaissance art was an amalgamation of the classical styles of presentation
along with the modern scientific knowledge that was gained.
Roles of Museum Curator
The complete knowledge and command over the subject to present is seen as the prime
responsibility of the museum curator. Their roles also take into account the different
responsibilities like managing the different exhibits, keeping up and maintenance and assuring
that the museum has its fair share of exhibits to display. It is also the responsibility of the curator
that the exhibits are properly marked so that the general population visiting the museum have
access to the information they want. The curator sometimes also does managerial tasks such as
fundraising events, planning museum visits of important people and bringing in important
artefacts to be displayed. The management of the different communication channels between the
museum and the different stakeholders and also maintaining the exhibit related public relations.
In small museum and galleries where the curator is the whole and sole responsible person, they

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have a responsibility that range from acquiring artefacts to their maintenance (Charlesworth).
The curator is also the responsible person for the decision making on any artefact under his
supervision if they are supposed to be exhibited elsewhere or transported.
In the larger museums the curator is responsible for gathering the additional information
about the artefact and conduct related researches so that the museum can acquire better related
artefacts. In a number of larger museums, the tasks of the curator are diversified and distributed
according to their proficiencies. In some cases, the curator accts as the collectors of the different
artefacts that are to be exhibited (Gilmore and Ruth).Depending on the management of the
museum the overall role of the curator may vary in the museum. A number of the responsibilities
include the management of records of acquisitions, event management of different exhibitions,
planning management and execution of different acquisitions. The curators have the handle the
different communication channels from the stakeholders, management and clients (Edson and
David). They also have to maintain contact with the local governing and the legal bodies to
ascertain funding and keep out of disputes. As a number of different skills are required for the
job of the curator, they are expected to possess a number of skills that include an acute
knowledge of art, ability of observing details, methodological and organizational skills among
others. It is also expected of a curator to have excellent communication channels (Kotler and
Kotler). The overall variety od abiolities to be demonstrated by the curator may make the task
tough for him and affect their overall performance. The curator should have all the above
mentioned characteristic to arrange an exhibit of the art in the organization.

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Five Art Works
The core theme of the exhibition as discussed previously would be Renaissance: Revival
of the Classical Era. The renaissance saw a revival of the ancient Greek form of the
representation of art which led to a revolution in the art and literature of the age. The paintings
and the sculptures of the age though heavily depicting the religious context of the texts relied on
the different religious context of literature. The use of colors and the major use of the darker
shades were an exemplary feature of the era. For the exhibition 5 works of the remarkable artists
of the era are presented.
Exhibit 1: Magdalene Penitent by Donatello

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Description: This statue Mary Magdalene in a state of penitence. Like all the major works
of Donatello the stature presents extreme realism and it has a rather realistic portrayal of
Magdalene opposite to the common belief and portrayal of the age.

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Exhibit 2: Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci
Description: It is one of the first major works by Da Vinci. The depiction is of archangel
Gabriel informing virgin Mary of her mother hood. The depiction in the art shows a great
influence of the age and master Andrea del Verrocchio.
Exhibit 3: Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci

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Description: The picture is one of the two attributed to Da Vinci Showing Madonna,
Christ, John the Baptiste and Gabriel. The said version has to be requested from the Louvre for
the presentation. The painting has a rather realistic depiction of the children.
Exhibit 4: Mappa dell’Inferno by Botticelli
Description: It is one of the great works of the Painter Sandro Botticelli which depicts the
seven circles of hell as presented in the great work of Dante called inferno. There have been
many other depictions of Dante’s seven circles of hell but none with Botticelli’s detailed
approach.

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Exhibit 5: The creation of Adam by Michelangelo
Description: the portrait by Michelangelo shows the creation of Adam and the start of
mankind. It is one of the best representation of the biblical depiction and exemplifies
Renaissance art.
Conclusion
Thus from the above research the different roles of the curator is understood in the
purview of the responsibilities bestowed on them. The paper also takes into account the diverse
capabilities that the curator should possess to be able to shoulder the responsibilities they have.
The Renaissance age is one of the most popular ages in the general population which will help in
publicising the event easily and inviting a wider array or audience for the event.

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References
Charlesworth, J. J. "Curating doubt." Issues in curating contemporary art and performance. Ed.
by J. Rugg and M. Sedgwick. Bristol, UK: Intellect Books (2007): 91-100.
Edson, Gary, and David Dean. Handbook for museums. Routledge, 2013.
Gilmore, Audrey, and Ruth Rentschler. "Changes in museum management: A custodial or
marketing emphasis?." Journal of management development 21.10 (2002): 745-760.
Kotler, Neil, and Philip Kotler. "Can museums be all things to all people?: Missions, goals, and
marketing's role." Museum management and curatorship 18.3 (2000): 271-287.
Longair, Sarah. "Cultures of Curating: The Limits of Authority." (2015): 1-7.

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Source illustrations
"Botticelli's Map Of Hell: La Mappa Dell'inferno." Florence Inferno. N.p., 2018. Web. 17 Apr.
2018.
"Michelangelo's Creation Of Adam - Italianrenaissance.Org." ItalianRenaissance.org. N.p.,
2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2018.
"Penitent Maddalen By Donatello." Claude Monet. N.p., 2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2018.
"The Annunciation By Leonardo Da Vinci." Italian Renaissance Art.com. N.p., 2018. Web. 17
Apr. 2018.
"The Virgin Of The Rocks - By Leonardo Da Vinci." https://www.leonardodavinci.net. N.p.,
2018. Web. 17 Apr. 2018.