Archaeology Magazine - September 1948 - 4

ARCHAEOLOGY

124
for purchasing
under
pointed

of art to augment and to improve its collections.
Its curators are apa civil service system.
museums are
Very few other publicly
supported
in
amounts
for
to
use
new
to their collections.
permitted
public money
acquisitions
large
of the best private
The staffs and collections
museums
are today quite superior
to
those of their public counterparts.
Whether
public control can ever equal the standards
of acquisition,
and exhibition
and field research, publication,
established
laboratory
by the
at
Nevertheless
the pattern of public
present.
leading private museums remains dubious
financial

works

control

of all important
museums
is creeping
across the land. I think that this
The leading museums of Europe and
tendency is not nearly as evil as some would believe.
their publications
have long been financed out of public
funds.
had its private
Europe
like the Medicis
in the Renaissance.
families
The United States
patrons under banking
the
nineteenth
in
and early twentieth
centuries.
The
support
enjoyed its era of private
of private museums as long as possible will serve to stimulate
and to accelercontinuation
of public museums.
ate the improvement
As the United

States

more

for cultural
mature, public responsibility
institutions
becomes more generally
accepted.
Take, for example, the County of Los Anfiscal
the
current
Funds received
1947-48
geles. During
year, the General
by this one
income of the government
of many of the
county alone are larger than the individual
The actual amount is in excess of $153,000,000.00.
states in the Union.
Out of this, the
for operating
Los Angeles County Museum receives currently
This
$390,581.00
expenses.
A
few
weeks
a
of
endowment.
the
usual
annual
Museum has not
conference
was
ago
penny
and the Chief Administrative
held between the Director
of the Museum
Officer of the
grows

culturally

Certain
1948-49 Museum
budget.
large items could not be dewill have to be put before the County Board of Supervisors
for deBut most of the budget was agreed upon in about an
cision as matters of over-all policy.
The additional
amounts alone, which were tentatively
hour and a half's discussion.
granted
County to consider
cided at once and

the

interest rates, on
for the coming fiscal year, are equal to the income, at prevailing
a fraction million dollars.
in this area continues
to mount, mainly in direct
The cost of government
tax rate, momentarily
the rise in the population,
which means that the individual
If large fortunes are no longer being accumulated,
is not increasing.
who is to
cultural

and

museums?

Government

is the only

two and
ratio to
at least,

support
with suf-

especially
institutions,
agency
resources.
Can Government
be made sufficiently
to use its
ficient financial
enlightened
vast economic power wisely? There is some evidence that the tide is turning toward wise
of public funds for museums.
and administration
No better examples could
appropriation
in
museums
San
be found at present than the publicly
Francisco
and Los Ansupported
the city or county government
geles. In all these communities,
appropriates
public money
Private citizens continue to
of each museum.
operation
of works of art, or they give actual
gifts of money for the purchase
Diego Fine Arts Gallery, which receives half of its operating
budget
sets the highest standard
of quality on this coast, having received over

for the entire

come forward

with

art works. The San
from public funds,
$2,000,000.00

from
Archaeology Magazine - September 1948

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - September 1948
