A comparative study of the artwork concept in modern and postmodern eras and its impact on the museumization process (with emphasis on visual artworks)

Problem definition: 

Comparing the concept of artwork in both modern and postmodern periods, the present study deals with the effect of these two currents on the museumization process of the work. The questions of this research are as follows: Given the vastness of the contemporary art field and formation of conceptual art with various materials, what are the criteria for selecting an artwork in contemporary art museums and how social conditions and artistic discourses such as modernism and postmodernism affect the museumization of the work?

The aim of this study is to propose specific criteria for the selection of artworks in contemporary art museums and the research scope includes the works in the field of visual arts.

The current research has been conducted based on a qualitative approach, and the results have been presented in a descriptive and analytical manner by comparing the concept of an artwork in the modern and postmodern periods. The data collection has been also performed using library resources and databases.

The art museums play an active role in the satisfaction of people as well as the global attitude towards art. For this reason, they should have obvious criteria for selecting artworks and defining the masterpiece of their collections. According to this points, museums, along with the artists and museum owners, should involve the socially active groups such as art teachers and sociologists in order to compile and define the art work and set policies for selecting them according to the subcultures with the participation of socially active groups such as art education professors and sociologists, and also contribute to the development of these cultures and not compare them with professional artists with the aim of strengthening indigenous cultures and preserving their values.