The growing sucess of museum shops

Art critic Paul Arendt notes that museums are busier than ever during the holiday season and wonders how many people are actually looking at the art. "National museums and art galleries are under greater pressure than ever from the government to generate their own income, and the need to focus on retail has produced some imaginative ideas. Products are often created in collaboration with artists; at their best (or worst, depending on your point of view), they blur the line between the shop and the gallery it serves. Selling everything from Rokeby Venus washbags to Canaletto ties, Andy Warhol oven gloves to Van Gogh earrings, the gallery shop is where the endless romance between art and commerce is joyfully (and affordably) consummated. ... But the most consistent sellers everywhere are the books and the good old-fashioned exhibition catalogues - a reassuring reminder that people do still go to galleries to look at the pictures."

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