What’s the Matter With Museums?

Daniel Grant | Observer | 19th June 2026

Can more art become too much art? It might if it requires a new museum. The US has about 35,000 museums, a number that has doubled since 1990. Local communities are now opposing new projects – especially so-called “vanity projects” – citing an absence of any public facilities, loss of public space or absorption of scarce public funds. Says one consultant “I’ve never known a community that was asking for a bigger museum. But many donors and collectors do,”