Everyone should be able to enjoy art—focus on the word enjoy. Some art museums started banning photography in the late 2000s when smartphones started having quality cameras to boost gift shop revenue and protect delicate works from automatic flashes, but the decision has been reversed in the mid-2010s partly from the popularity of sharing photos on social media. That’s exactly the problem.
I don’t have a problem with artists who take photos because they don’t want to sit in front of a painting for several hours with an easel copying artwork, which was what art museums were originally for. I don’t have a problem with enthusiasts who take photos respectfully for the purpose of discussing and critiquing artistic style, it’s a worthy and productive academic exercise. I don’t have a problem with people taking photos to keep a memory, that’s what art museums are for now. What I have a problem with are unruly crowds who have no genuine appreciation for art beyond posting a picture on Instagram.
The security guard standing next to The Starry Night in the Museum of Modern Art in New York encouraged people to move along after they took their photo—how about those who just want to stand there appreciating it? The crowd pushed and jostled to get in front to snap a picture of a painting—why bother getting up close if they’re only going to view it through a screen? There are over 80,000 photos on Instagram tagged with #thestarrynight—what makes any of their photos create any more value than those that already exist?
There is no true artistic appreciation developed from checking in to a location, there is no connection with art through a screen if you can already see it on the wall, and there is no value in posting a poorly taken photograph with nothing but a bunch of hashtags just to pretend to be cultured. You don’t acquire taste and culture from showing people where you go and what you see, it comes from demonstrating an understanding of the places you visit by developing contextual knowledge through the things you see.
I went up there, jostled, and took a photo. In my defence, I was committing an act of art by taking photographs of the inane reaching up and around with their phones, making a valid case in the debate over whether museums should ban photography, and critiquing the actions of others through a substantiated analysis.
Museums don’t have to ban photography, they just have to make it unattractive for those who clamour for retweets, likes, and comments. Famous works of art could be housed behind infrared-blocking clear glass to make for a great viewing experience with the naked eye but impossible to photograph. I have been to museums with a modest photography fee, I’d be happy to pay $10 for the pleasure of taking photographs. They could also turn it into an interactive exhibit where guests can answer multiple choice questions correctly about the artwork in exchange for a photography pass to encourage learning about the work of art.
There’s a place for Instagram and Snapchat photos, but it’s not in an art museum. There’s also a place for the appreciation of beautiful works of art, but it’s not a discotheque. I hope that the value of art in the eyes of North Americans has been diluted to nothing more than a social media boast.
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