A never-ending story: the gendered art museum revisited

For years the unequal acquisition of artworks by female artists compared to male artists has been debated within the art museum world. This article argues that the quest for parity might overshadow theoretical implications. First, the handful of museums which were investigated in a Danish report from 2005 is revisited; this report documented that 80% of the artworks acquired in the period 1983-2003 were produced by male artists. The revisit shows that the plain conclusions have not changed considerably. Next, the article examines the question of staff at Danish art museums. This indicates a majority of female agents. Last, the article argues that a declared parity in acquisition policy simplifies questions on gender and diversity. Instead, lack of parity should be considered a point of attention, which might have reasonable explanations, but, nevertheless, can be addressed by both a critique of 'art value' and a focus on gender mainstreaming.