Museum Educational Tools
Museum Plaques: Decoded
Example: At the Museum of Modern Art
For this artwork the museum has provided both basic information and a section of commentary, which puts the work and artist in the context of a greater artistic movement.
Max Ernst. French, born Germany. 1891-1976. Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale. 1924. Oil on wood with painted wood elements and frame, 27 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 4 1/2" (69.8 x 57.1 x 11.4 cm). Purchase. © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris |
Decoded:
(A) Max Ernst. (B) French, born Germany. (C) 1891-1976. (D) Two Children Are Threatened by a Nightingale. (E) 1924. (F) Oil on wood with painted wood elements and frame, (G) 27 1/2 x 22 1/2 x 4 1/2" (69.8 x 57.1 x 11.4 cm). (H) Purchase. (I) © 2008 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris |
(A) the name of the artist. This may include any other names that the artist was known by.
(B) biographical information about the artist; his country of birth as well as his nationality
(C) more biographical information about the artist; the dates of his birth and death
(D) the title of the work of art
(E) the year that the work of art was completed.
(F) the materials that the artist used. Here they include oil paint, wood with pre-made painted wood pieces and a pre-made frame.
(G) the dimensions of the work of art, its height, width and length. This is often included as a reference for those who access a museum catalogue online or in a book, so that they can understand how big the object is in real life.
(H) this explains the capacity in which the work of art appears in the museum. This object has been purchased and is part of the permanent collection. A work may also be noted as donated by an individual or organization or on loan from another museum or private collection.
(I) this information contains the copyright and licensing information of the work of art. The amount of this type of information provided will vary greatly from museum to museum
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