Let the people choose: A decentralised museum
The next era of public collections
GM Patrons. One of the key missions of PatronageDAO is to bring as many of the world’s greatest works of art into public ownership. and empower its members to become guardians of its groundbreaking collection. This unique curatorial custodianship of a collection that truly represents the tastes of the people, is deep-rooted in a desire to usher in the next revolution in public ownership of incredible, important and undervalued artworks.
Museums: a beacon of public access
The concept of preserving incredible artworks within the public realm is not new, indeed museums have been playing this role in various ways for centuries.
Many commentators suggest that the earliest forms of museums originated within the halls of religious groups & centres of political power. From all the way back to 530 BCE, where the daughter of the last king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (now modern day Iraq), Ennigaldi-Nanna, curated artefacts from earlier Mesopotamian civilisations, to the ancient greeks and romans whose forums, temples, theatres, libraries and bath houses were enriched by some of the greatest carvings known to mankind; humans have been curating for millennia.
These, however, were still private collections and they dominated the world of art collection. By the early 15th century masterpieces adorned churches, cathedrals, palaces and large private estates, and their curators were at the epicentre of the art world. Although these were private collections, their owners would periodically open up access to the public, so they could revel in the majesty of the creations of the greatest artists of the time.
The modern concept of a dedicated public museum was not realised until the late 17th century, when the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford and Kunstmuseum Basel opened their doors. Many museums around this time were privately funded, and often restricted access to certain echelons of society. However, the advent of the modern museum was established and the trend was fast growing. Indeed, across Europe in the 18th century many great private collections of works became nationalised and displayed in purpose-built ornate buildings, with the express intention of providing public access to hidden treasures. The British Museum, The Prado, The Louvre and The Uffizi Gallery, amongst many other of today’s leading museums, opened during this time and exemplify the museum model in its current state.
The curator: a role unchanged
Although the notion of public access has developed over the ages, the role of the curator within the museums has remained largely unchanged. The curator is a centralised, often board-appointed, figure within the museum who is responsible for selecting the pieces that flow in and out of the collection. They become the chosen guardians of the collection, the living embodiment of the consciousness of the museum and what it deems worthy of its interests.
Curators of collections that contain more contemporary works tend to both follow and set trends, striving to stay one step ahead in a crowded space. Reputation, integrity and expertise are key tenets of the trade and the desire and satisfaction that comes from finding and breaking new artists onto the scene is strong.
It could be said that a good curator will look to signals within their community and social trends to help guide them in their decisions. But what if we take this concept one step further…
The museum evolved: The role of decentralisation
At PatronageDAO we believe that the next phase in evolution of the museum model lies in a concept that is at the absolute centre of the blockchain space: Decentralisation. We deploy this concept in two areas:
1. Decentralised curation:
Disrupting the ubiquitous museum model in which a single or small group of curators subjectively funnel or dictate the trends and themes of our time, PatronageDAO gives that power directly to its community.
As, who better to choose which works should belong in a collection that represents a reflection of the tastes of the moment, then the very community from which those artists and tastes have sprung?
A force against the rise and rise of private ownership of some the world’s greatest masterpieces, able to go head to head with the ultra-wealthy and secure these works for all to enjoy in perpetuity. We believe the greatest artworks in the world should be accessible to all, viewable by all and chosen by all. After all, who is a better curator and tastemaker than…you!
2. Decentralised ownership:
Through our mechanism of fractionalising the ownership of each artwork in the collection into a unique series of artNFTs, we allow for individuals to mint, own and trade parts of the works in this groundbreaking collection on the open market, while the underlying piece remains in the custody of the PatronageDAO Foundation.
This provides us with a perpetual revenue stream enabling us to self-raise the funds for the next acquisition.
PatronageDAO is the vessel for change, its community is its captain, and together we will mastermind a new blueprint for selecting, curating and keeping artworks in the public realm: the Decentralised Museum
GN, Michelangelo ✌️🍕
