According to a new study that just came out, Germany has the most private museums of contemporary art, beating the US by just one number. Christoph Noe, who started the art collector data company Larry's List, came up with the idea for the study. He did this with a team of researchers that included Jamie Bennett from Hong Kong and Olav Velthuis from the University of Amsterdam. From 317 in their 2016 report to an amazing 446 this year, the number of museums they track has grown. Also, the order has changed: South Korea was number one in 2016, while Germany was only third. This time, Germany (60), the US (59), South Korea (50), Greater China (30), and Italy (30) are at the top of the list. These countries are interesting because they have half of the world's private museums. They aren't exactly the biggest, but the sheer number of them beats out the other 54 countries.
Noe says that collectors in these five countries are more likely to want to show their collections to the public, even if they only have a room that used to be an apartment. "But in China and South Korea, we see rather big museum sets," he says.
Asia is getting more and more important in this world, and the story goes into detail about South Korea and its capital, Seoul, which has the most private art museums of any city in the world. When asked why, Noe says, "Seoul is where South Korea's first art market and art museums were built, and there is a strong corporate presence there." He also says, "Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996) and Gen Z (people born between 1997 and 2012) make up more than a third of Seoul's population, and museums work harder to bring in young art lovers." Also surprising is that, according to the study, 82% of all private museums of modern art were started after 2000, and 152 of them were started just in the last 10 years.
Noe says, "Of course, having your own museum means you have to have a collection, money, and a place to put it." "But it's clear that this is a trend. The leaders look at what others are doing and try to do the same things. Having your own museum is the ultimate status symbol, but it's not just about showing off; it's also about sharing your collection with others. And he says, "You can also get better access to the most popular artists and works of art, which is much easier if they are going into your own museum." Lastly, he says, "Museum owners see a need to care for and protect culture and fill a gap left by a lack of public institutions, and they have the money to do so. So a private collection has become more known in the past few years." Noe says that his team has improved their data and methods since the first report, which has had some effect on their results. This is because it can be hard to agree on what something means.
Noe is excited about how all of these new museums will affect the art market. "The growth in numbers is 100% good news," he says. "All of these private museums inspire people all over the world, and they play a crucial role in giving artists more exposure." And, he says diplomatically, "at a time when government support for public museums is not going up, they make great places to show off contemporary art." As an art consultant, he can only applaud this.
Selena Mattei