To get bored in museums?

[justnotaballetmum]

I have been away with DH and the children for a week and amongst other things we spent some time in museums.

I found it quite boring Don't get me wrong - it wasn't as if I wasn't interested in anything but where I could have moved through an entire section in less than two minutes, DH could spend an age on it, up to fifteen minutes. It meant I was standing around a lot! I tried, genuinely, to 'see what he was seeing' and fervently read every section about every stone but I still couldn't manage it.

So - AIBU to get a bit bored and restless in museums, and AIBU to think I might be a bit of an uneducated fool?

It depends on the museum, to me. DH and I spent 8 hours in the New Museum in Berlin, looking at the ancient Egyptian statues, etc, but you wouldn't get either of us through the doors of any gallery with paintings later than about 100BC. We enjoy a quick visit to the Natural History and Science museums, and can just about manage War Museum in Leeds. Modern sculpture leaves us cold, too, apart from the odd piece.
When the kids were young, it was science museum only.

I find a lot of museums boring too. And art galleries.

I enjoyed the Tate Modern but we live near the Baltic in Gateshead and I frequently wear my "what the fuck?" face when I'm in there. Modern art is just odd.

I enjoy seeing more "recent" history in museums so Victorian/Edwardian etc rather than prehistoric or roman etc.

I suppose the best thing to do is find a museum that displays stuff which piques your interest or which has specific zones which interest you and only target them.

I class the Harry Potter studio tour as a museum and could spend a week in there.

Depends on the museum! I can spend hours in the science museum, imperial war or the museum of London, I am one of those people who will read ever single information board and push every button! Wife knows this so generally I go to these places on my own as she would die of boredom, that said I would have to drag her kicking and screaming out of the V&A where as I would be getting twitchy after 5 mins

^^

DH?

I wouldn't mind going to the Foundling museum in London. Anyone ever been?

i find them exhausting. and Need Tea.
agree, better on your own while looking. and set a time limit

modern art

I love museums. All sorts of museums - dusty ones, blingy ones, ones about stuff that I know nothing about.
Art galleries have taken me longer to learn to love, but strangely its ds that has taught me that as he likes to witter about what the artist was thinking, how they are showing things, so now I really stop and look and think.

actually i love cathedrals and churches

I love museums and galleries, but agree: pace is crucial and you have to do it at your own.

This is what the café and the gift shop are for: the eventual rendezvous.

You could always try the chair museum in High Wycombe for a fun day out

NET

You should try the dust museum in Stevenage.

Leeds armouries is very good. Know what you mean about the Baltic....it's practically a waste of a building.

Durhams oriental museum is good and just the right size.

Know what you mean about the mona Lisa. What a disappointment that was.

Much preferred the arcimboldo.

The Foundling Museum is really interesting. The saddest part is all the tokens which were never collected. I didn't realise it would have such recent history, either - there are recordings from people who were there in the 20th century.

EBearhug I hadn't heard of this place, just had a read up, heartbreaking.

No, I love museums and galleries.

But I think some people feel they need to look at every painting in a gallery and every artefact in a museum. So no wonder people feel fatigued spending hours traipsing around museums and galleries because 'it's good for them'. Pinpoint some things that sound like they may be of interest to you, go see them, and then get a nice slice of cake in the café.

'Cathedrals and churches are something I don't 'get'. Anyone else?'

Definitely not, I find cathedrals awe inspiring. The scale, the grandeur, the cool air, the design, the rose windows, knowing that they took many decades and many thousands of men to construct.

And I really love an English country church. I imagine the pews filled with centuries of villagers and feel quite moved. And I'm not even slightly religious!

I love museums but can't deal with art galleries, I can't understand why you'd spend so long looking at pictures you could just Google.

Oh you heathen

Looking at a Caravaggio via Google is nothing like the punch in the guts you get from actually standing in front of one of his paintings.

Or something like the Night Watch, you've just got to see it 'in the flesh'.

..............or not if you're not a fan of Rembrandt

I guess it depends on the museum, I've been to a few boring ones- Yorkshire Museum, Imperial War Museum for example but I've been to some amazing museums: York Castle Museum (I spent 5 hours in there), Natural History Museum, British Museum, British Transport Museum, The Silk Mill, Pickford House, Derby Museum, Snibston Hall (childhood museum), The Science Museum in London!

I hate art galleries though!

One of the great luxuries in life is to pop into a museum, or gallery, to look at just one thing, them come out again. This can be exciting but is only really available where you live or work near the museum. On holiday, there is a tendency to stay too long somewhere, so YY to the idea of meeting up in a cafe or something. And some research before hand to find what you would be interested in seeing.

I love churches, big or small, ancient or modern. They keep important art, particularly in Spain or Italy.

I agree with crystal that you don't have to be religious to be moved by knowing that this is somewhere that people come together in times of joy or sadness.

Also it's nice on a hot day to sit somewhere cool and quiet and let your eyes grow accustomed to the darkness and just absorb the atmosphere and think your thoughts.