A review by sarah984
The Whole Picture: The colonial story of the art in our museums... and why we need to talk about it by Alice Procter

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

This is an interesting look at museums both through their history as colonial institutions and attempts to reckon (or not) with that in the present, based on a selection of relevant objects and art installations. Each piece is given a simple one-sentence description at the beginning of its chapter, which highlights the importance of framing and context to the meaning of the object. I do think the author was a little too generous toward some of the more controversial art installations mentioned and I would like to read more authors of colour on this subject, but I liked the book overall.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Genocide, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racism, Rape, and Slavery

There is discussion of museum display of human remains. The history section of one object discusses lynching and the death of Emmett Till.