David Rubenstein: belief

Transcript context

…Would you agree with the judgment that today, art museums are less culturally central than they used to be, and they need to do something to remedy that? Well, I was elected, earlier today, the new National Gallery of Art chairman. Tyler Congratulations. So, it would be unlikely for me to say that art museums are not relevant anymore. No, I think art is an important part of society, and from time immemorial, people have been painting and doing other kinds of visual arts. And I think people’s brains get improved by seeing what people have done with their creative skills. I think art museums and all museums are good, and this is the reason: The human brain has not yet evolved to the point where, if you see a picture of the Mona Lisa on a computer slide, it’s the same experience as going to the Louvre and seeing it in person because before you go to the Louvre, while you’re there, and afterwards, you’re more likely to read about it. You’re more likely to learn about it, and I think when you do that, you’re more likely to have a better human experience than just looking at a computer slide. If you eliminate all museums and everything was on a computer slide, I’m not sure that’d be a good experience for people. Should the National Gallery have canceled its pending Genoese Baroque exhibit?…

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