The National Bureau of Economic Research [NBER] organized a project to explore the economic issues facing the major art museums of the . For this purpose we defined economics broadly to include not only the finanical situation of the museums but also the management and growth of museum collections, the museums' relationship with the public, and the role of the government in supporting art museums. This volume brings together nontechnical essays on these issues by economists associated with the NBER and personal statements by leaders of our major national art museums and related foundations.

In December 1989, the project culminated in a two-day conference at which NBER economists who prepared the background papers met with directors and curators from principal American museums and other leaders of the museum community. Our meeting was organized into fice sessions. Each session was launched by three of four personal statements. The full texts of these remarks are presented in the first part of this volume together with summaries of each discussion. The background papers appear in the second part of this volume. (Preface, p. ix-x).

CONTENTS

Preface by Martin Feldstein.

I. Panel discussions. 

1. The museum's collection.
    Theodore E. Stebbins, Jr., Julia Brown Turrell, Jay E. Cantor,
    John Walsh.
    Summary of discussion.

2. The museum and the public.
    Anne d'Harnocourt, Paul J. Dimaggio, Marilyn Perry,
    James N. Wood.
    Summary of discussion. 

3. Museum finances.
    Harry S. Parker, III, Thomas Krens, William H. Luers,
    Neil Rudenstein.
    Summary of discussion. 

4. The museum and the government.
    Andrew Oliver, Anne Hawley, Sir John Hale.
    Summary of discussion.

5. General overview.
    J. Carter Brown, Richard E. Oldenburg, Harold M. Williams,
    Roger G. Kennedy.

II. Papers [see analyzed].

Biographies.
Participants.
Name index.
Subject index.

The National Bureau of Economic Research [NBER] organized a project to explore the economic issues facing the major art museums of the . For this purpose we defined economics broadly to include not only the finanical situation of the museums but also the management and growth of museum collections, the museums' relationship with the public, and the role of the government in supporting art museums. This volume brings together nontechnical essays on these issues by economists associated with the NBER and personal statements by leaders of our major national art museums and related foundations.