An interesting article from the LA Times about the hidden collections of museums and ways to make them more accessible can be read here.
Behind an art museum’s gleaming galleries lies the off-limits and uninviting space that can hold as much as 95% of its collection: storage.
These spaces are often packed with hundreds or even thousands of paintings, decorative art objects and other artifacts that can languish, unappreciated and untouched by curators, for years. But as a way to bring art out from its underbelly and display more of a museum’s possessions, several institutions are embracing “visible storage” in public areas, exhibiting the art without the expense of a spacious, beautifully installed and curated show.
Govan is totally correct stating that “those objects are worthy for viewing and studying if not always for exhibitions. So you’re not contemplating a masterpiece, but maybe you’ll find value in comparing and contrasting different examples of vases” (or, for example, Kuba cups).
Visitors of the MAS in Antwerp can already experience something similar..
See the full article for more examples here.