Treasure Palaces: Great Writers Visit Great Museums

For anyone who loves museums of all kinds, any kind. Uneven of course: Allison Pearson's snotty, flippant take on the Musee Rodin was particularly irritating; Julian Barnes's elegiac visit to Sibelius's house was deeply touching, as was Michael Morpurgo's trudge through Ypres's tribute to Flanders fields. The writers (heavily skewed British) muse (pun intended) on the effects of a specific piece of art, how their feelings about museums have evolved over a lifetime, how a certain museum or artist shed light upon the writer's own history, how one person with a quirky passion creates a collection that speaks to visitors down the centuries and across the world. Some of us love the austere hush of traditional museums, some of us revel in show more weird installations, some think kids should be banned, others think they should be forcibly exposed. But I ended up wanting to visit nearly every museum in this book... well, maybe not the Abba Museum in Stockholm... show less

The magic of museums

A collection of essays about the authors’ favourite museums? What a wonderful idea! I am always ready to visit yet another museum, be it in books or in real life. I also appreciate the book’s focus on smaller museums. As the preface says, ”the most rewarding museum visit is one which involves communion between the viewer and a single object.” It’s possible to have this at the Louvre or other huge museums, but it is too easy to get greedy in such places, and then crawl out four hours later, hardly knowing what you have seen. Ahem.

There are 24 essays in this book. Many are wonderful, but I wished they were all equally memorable. Also, I was happy that I have my own memories and impressions of Musée Rodin in show more Paris, because Allison Pearson’s essay isn’t something I would recommend to people that haven’t been there. Anyway, here are my top 10, in order of appearance.

Roddy Doyle – The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York – so wonderfully humane!

Rory Stewart – The National Museum of Afghanistan, Kabul – the book was published in 2016; this is an amazing piece and it made me sad. I didn’t dare check what happened to the museum and what state it is in now.

Margaret Drabble – Museo dell’Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence – pure magic! Florence lived and breathed in these pages, too.

Ali Smith – Villa San Michele, Capri – Thank you for taking me to Capri, I feel blessed. ”...choreography of cloud and cliff”, I will remember these words.

Michael Morpugo – In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres – I read this with a constant heartache. I think you should read it too, if your head-space allows.

Jacqueline Wlison – Musée de la Poupée, Paris – I am not fond of dolls, I never have been. I liked this for other reasons, such as ”humans doing nice things.”

Julian Barnes – Ainola, Finland (Jean Sibelius' home) – wonderful, I could hear both the music and the silence.

Ann Wroe – Dove Cottage, England, William Wordsworth’s home. - This piece is magical, and so is the poetry.

John Lanchester – Prado, Madrid – this is an essay that gave me jolts of happy recognition, even though my experiences are very different. When I think of Prado, there is only El Greco. Oh, and your parents were right, Mr Lanchester, there is no “perhaps” about it.

Andrew O’Hagan – Kelvingrove, Glasgow – ”…a great museum is not just a repository of treasures but an instigator of vision.” show less

Treasure palaces is an interesting concept and a wonderful collection that leaves a few things to be desired. Some of the writers are able to really approach a sense of space within the museums they write about, or weave in a sense of themselves, their stories, and what these place mean to them; others seem to fall back on describing the artwork which, while interesting, isn't quite why I'm here as a reader. Some of the more moving, emotional essays include Tim Winton's on the National Gallery of Victoria, and Don Paterson's on the Frick Collection in New York. Julian Barnes' essay on Ainola, the home of the composer Sibelius, manages to thread the needle of this book's concept perfectly, capturing space, history, and emotion all in show more one. Overall it's an enjoyable and occasionally captivating, if inconsistent, collection. show less

I finally picked up Treasure Palaces edited by Maggie Fergusson last month. This is a series of essays by authors writing about the museums they treasure and it was published in December 2016.

Originally published as a series in Intelligent Life called 'Authors on Museums', writers were asked to return to a museum that had played a significant role in their life and write about the experience.

Maggie Fergusson took over the commissioning of the series after its establishment by Tim de Lisle, and at the end of the series a total of 38 essays had been published. Here Fergusson has curated the best 24, and I enjoyed reading them.

A particular highlight for me was Tim Winton's essay on the NGV (National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne) show more entitled 'Spurned No Longer', which began with his first visit as a scruffy nine year old boy, initially refused entry because he was barefoot. The NGV was an icon for me in my teenage years, and I'd never have imagined living less than 500m from the grand entrance on St Kilda Road many years later.

What I did find interesting was the inclusion of art galleries in this collection of essays, which raised the question: "what's the difference between a gallery and museum?" A little online digging informed me that a gallery is where you can see the art with a view to purchasing it, which makes me wonder if the NGV is suitably named after all.

Another highlight in the collection was the essay by Aminatta Forna about The Museum of Broken Relationships, and not because I've been there but because I've read about it.

Treasure Palaces edited by Maggie Fergusson was an enjoyable read, however it was often interrupted as I went to seek out the artworks being referenced within the essays. There are no photographs or images of exhibits included in the text and this would certainly have enhanced my reading experience if there had been.

Recommended for armchair travellers, art lovers, bookworms interested in learning about treasured authors and non fiction readers with an interest in art and science.

* Copy courtesy of Allen & Unwin * show less

I have always enjoyed learning what inspires or touches others and the chance to see things from a new perspective. These essays are enjoyable to find what touched the lives of these writers, or often spurred them to write. It would have been nice as others noted to have accompanying photos of the pieces, but I actually have enjoyed visiting the museums now online, many that were new to me. I would recommend this book to those that love museums, art, inspiration or just a chance to escape into a different moment as you walk with authors recalling their past visits.

Rey interesting collection of essays on common and obscure museums. A favourite read of the year.

I liked this collection, although it's missing the photos that went with the columns originally. I haven't​ been to most of the museums, although a few of these are tempting. I can make due with a description of "The Museum of Broken Relationships."