Giorgio Vasari and the Birth of the Museum

The first focused study of Vasari’s original contributions to museum formation, this collection presents a cross-disciplinary overview of Vasari’s approaches to collecting and display, and his impact and legacy with respect to the museum institution. Vasari specialists unite with scholars of historical museology to address the subject from the full range of aspects - collecting, installation, conceptual-historical - in which his influence is strongly felt.

Giorgio Vasari and the Birth of the Museum offers the first dedicated and comprehensive study of Vasari’s original contributions to the making of museums, addressing the subject from the full range of aspects - collecting, installation, conceptual-historical - in which his influence is strongly felt. Uniting specialists of Giorgio Vasari with scholars of historical museology, this collection of essays presents a cross-disciplinary overview of Vasari’s approaches to the collecting and display of art, artifacts and memorabilia. Although the main focus of the book is on the mid-late 16th century, contributors also bring to light that Vasari’s museology enjoyed a substantial afterlife well into the modern museum era. This volume is a fundamental addition to the museum studies literature and a welcome enhancement to the scholarly industry on Giorgio Vasari.