By ARTRA
Having recently visited this museum situated in Amsterdam, I shall introduce you to The Moco museum. This museum is dedicated exclusively to showcasing pieces from the famously known graffiti artist Banksy. For those of you unfamiliar with this artist, Banksy is an anonymous UK-based street artist, vandal, political activist, and film director, active since the 1990s. Through the use of the illegal art method, the artist displayed critical messages for the general public to see and resonate. The museum has gathered photos and originals and copies of the artists’ work.
Source: https://amsterdamcanalcruises.nl/museums/moco-museum/
One of the main characteristics of a Banksy’s graffiti is that he displays through his work messages against capitalism and his main aim to scandalize society in the form of art vandalism. The meaning behind his work contrasts the idea of displaying artwork in a museum. Therefore, it came to be a surprise when I went to Amsterdam and saw massive posters announcing the existence of the Moco museum. How can a non-capitalist artist be part of an organization which profits from its viewers? I was wrong. Banksy has little to nothing to do with this museum. He does not “get to see a single penny”, as they say in England. The Moco museum is a privately-owned institution whereby it is owned by Lionel and Kim Logchies, owners of Lionel Gallery on the Spiegelstraat in Amsterdam.
Looking at the monetary part of the subject, we understand that there are several ways a museum can be financed. The methods range from government grants and subsidies to sponsorships and of course, bank investment. The Moco museum has taken a different approach to finance its existence. This museum was financed partly by the previously mentioned millionaire couple and partly by a private investment group (unfortunately, I was unable to find much information about this particular source as this information seems to be private). Coming from a wealthy family these individuals already had several art galleries which hosted Picassos, Basquiat’s and many more. In 2016, the couple decided to start this institution where they claim it is a semi non-profit organization, where part of the benefits go to charities. The percentage of so remains unknown by the public, yet we can probably guess that it’s not very high.
The price to pay at the door is roughly 17 euros, and compared to their neighbouring museums (Stedelijk and the Rijksmuseum), they have the highest entrée fee. They charge a lower fee of 11 euros for the “student, junior, and senior” category which is usually a standard feature at museums.
What this museum represents it is the complete opposite of what art and in specific Banksy desires to communicate. Art should be a public good, free for everyone to see and hence that is why we displayed his art in the form of graffiti in public spaces. Even Banksy himself said he is not happy with the commercialization of his works. The Moco museum takes this principle and tears it apart in the name of money. I personally believe that art should be free, it has been proven that societies that highlight the importance and accessibility of art manage to become more culturally rich. Any organization that tries to privatize art in order to turn it into a profit-making machine should not be praised. In fact, what the Moco museum represents is the prostitution of art.
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moco_Museum
https://www.ft.com/content/dd0968bc-1559-11e8-9c33-02f893d608c2
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