Museums have a hoarding problem
Museums’ moves highlight how little of their collections are actually on view
BENEATH THE gothic main hall of the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London is a labyrinth of curiosities. Only a tiny fraction of the museum’s collection is on display—around 40,000 objects out of some 80m. Much is consigned to the dim, crowded basement. Here is a tortoise once owned by Charles Darwin; there are hundreds of jars of giant fish and thousands of rare shells.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “What’s in store?”
Culture March 9th 2024
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- Museums have a hoarding problem
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