Are Studio Reconstructions in Museums "Dead"? Exploring the Paolozzi Studio in Edinburgh.

Abstract

Painting was proclaimed as dead by the artist Paul Delaroche in 1839 following the invention of photography. The artist's studio was subseqauently described as "extinct" by the artist Daniel Buren in the 1970's. Will artist studio reconstructions such as that of Brancusi in Paris and Bacon in Dublin suffer the same judgment or will they continue to serve a purpose in creative and museale practice? The case of the reconstructed studio of Sir Eduardo Paolozzi (1924-2004) at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is considered in detail to help answer this research question.