Beyond "the White Cube": A Research On The Institutional Critique Of Modern Art Museum

The dissertation focuses mainly on the institutional critique of art museum including the related art practices of new avant-garde and theoretical discourses of British and American academic circles since the late 1960 s.By discussing the theory of postmodernism in the visual arts of the American art critic Douglas Crimp based on a Foucauldian archeology of the museum,the dissertation tries to clarify the relationship between art museum and art institution,the influence of institutional critique on the architecture and exhibition of art museum,to analyse artistic criticism and aesthetics related issue.In the 1960 s,with the rise of conceptual art,minimalism art and new avant-garde art,the first generation of institutional critique artists including Michael Asher,Daniel Buren,Hans Haacke,Marcel Broodthaers undertook a series of artistic practices that challenged art museums and galleries.Subsequently,art critics of October wrote a considerable number of theses on the above artistic practices.In the mid-1980 s,the term "institutional critique" was adopted widely by artists,art critics,and art historians.Institutional critique refers to the art practices that challenged art museums and galleries in the 1960 s.On the other hand,it is related to the systematic review of the art museum institution."Institutional Critique" practices have crossed the "White Cube" space and subverted the exhibition mode at the Museum of Modern Art(Mo MA),making art creation go to a broader space.Meanwhile,the art museum adjusted its physical form and exhibition system accordingly.In the 1990 s,the new institutionalism represented by biennials was formed.An academic study and interpretation of the institutional critique of art museum might have been a response to the question whether museum ended or not,as suggested by Douglas Crimp in On the Museum’s Ruins.This doctoral thesis consists of three parts.The first part is the introduction of the entire thesis.The second part studies the relationship between the formation of the modern art museum and the art institution,art practices concerned about the institutional critique of art museum since the 1960 s.It also deals with discourses of art critics of October of the institution of art museum.The last part is the consequence of institutional critique and the future of the art museum.