There's a pattern I've noticed in visiting World War One museums over the years. Their curators seem to like to put together displays that have enormous concentrations of stuff–usually somewhat related, sometimes not—where the intention is clearly not to allow a full appreciate ever single item. Apparently, these are attempts to create a broad, emotional response from the visitor, something on the order of: This is what that war was about — fell it!". I've decided to use the term "collage" for these presentations. Collages were a product of the Dada Movement of the First World War period, in which the artists tried to make some original, radical statement by combining ordinary materials. Anyway, here are a few examples of what I'm thinking about. All the images can be enlarged by clicking on them. MH
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| Somme 1916 Museum, Albert |
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| Museo Storico Italiano della Guerra, Rovereto |
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| In Flanders Fields Museum, Ypres |
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| Mémorial de Verdun |
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| National WWI Museum, Kansas City |
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| Historial de la Grande Guerra, Péronne |
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| Guards Museum, London |
Great photos but it needs a shot of the Australian war museum which has the only surviving German tank
ReplyDeleteNot a single horse to be seen. Not one of the armies would have survived without them.
ReplyDeleteCheck out the Flanders Fields Museum's image above. The horse there is doing what the Marine Corps' Sgt. Reckless did in the Korean War...transporting munitions.
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