2 days ago
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Why are you expected to be quiet in an art gallery? Thierry Dupond, Charente-Maritime, France
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Readers reply
It’s so as not to disrupt the concentration of other patrons; who if you made a noise would find it a painter hear, grisaille about the disturbance, make encaustic remarks to the effect that you lacquer sense of decorum and ought to learn some mannerists – and might even lose their tempera. ThereisnoOwl
So that you do not disturb the still lifes. Jeffrey Hinman
As a painter myself, I hope to learn from other art. Looking quietly seems the best way to let a piece of art work its magic. I’m not saying a gallery should be as hushed as a library, but I prefer a contemplative atmosphere where the works can be studied. You can go to the cafe and chat afterwards. Worse than loudly talking, though, is taking selfies in front of an artwork, especially when not bothering to spend time looking at it first! BR
Viewing art is like a conversation between the viewer and the artist. It requires quiet observation and a degree of concentration leading to contemplation. For me, there is an emotional response to some art that I cannot explain, but one work of art “speaks” to me while another does not. It is harder to achieve all this when “influencers” are capering about showing off. MartyWolf
It’s a control thing. I was at a public gallery recently when a “guard” told me, presumably on pain of being evicted, not to point at the art. (I was discussing with a friend the quality of brush work in a landscape painting; I am, for my sins, a painter.) You would have thought that lively discussion would have been welcomed, but no. The gallery space is viewed as an area of privilege that should not be taken for granted by art “lovers”. Loving art is not to be accompanied by too much enthusiasm. The gallery, with its high priests and uniformed enforcers, is a shrine to what art is deemed to be worth, not what art stands for (creative freedom). Peter Gregory
Being quiet is different from being silent. No one should enforce silence on anyone, but if a gallery is not quiet, then meaningful, concentrated reflection is much more difficult. It is also a matter of respect. Why are people expected to be more quiet on public transport or in waiting rooms? It shows consideration to those around us. I think discussing what you are viewing in galleries is incredibly important and can make you appreciate things in ways you wouldn’t if you were in total silence. I also think that children shouldn’t be taught to view galleries as oppressive areas designed for adults – this is exclusionary and simply does not promote art to do what it should do, which is inspire and evoke emotion.
It is a nuanced “rule” that should be followed on the understanding that it is not meant to exclude people, but to make galleries places of reflection and tranquility. In a world where many of us wear headphones all day long, noise pollution is the norm and quietness is almost seen as something to be avoided, being expected to be quiet in galleries can be interpreted as a gift. Liv
While the majority of professionals are rethinking the codes of access to art galleries to diversify their audience and attract younger visitors, more and more voices are being raised to attribute a certain snobbism, even a distasteful elitism, to this request of quietness. As a graduate in art history from a working-class background, brought up by self-taught parents who saw galleries and museums as spaces for growth, this position has always intrigued me.
I have never heard of a cinema, a public library or a hospital being called snobbish, elitist places. Yet in these buildings, too, a few murmurs are tolerated, if not outright silence and restraint demanded. Why are you expected to be quiet in these places? It is a given that cinema-goers want to enjoy the plot of their film without surrounding noise. Studying or reading in a library is justified by a need to concentrate away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the world. As for hospitals, they are a place of rest for people experiencing different levels of pain. These three places have a lot in common with art galleries, so why should we behave differently inside them?
In any public space, you are bound to a social contract with others, one that demands that you respect their space and their peace: this is what the quietness of an art space implies. Asking about the logic of quietness in these spaces without acknowledging the rest of the patrons denotes a certain selfishness that seems so fashionable in our modern society. For a moment, just a moment, you can dispense with being the main character in a film, entitled to your loud lines and your actions in the foreground, neglecting the extras in the background? Because, in fact, you are just the annoying person in their reality. Jennifer Gori
Have you been in an art gallery recently? Quiet is not how I’d describe them. Michael Paraskos
