"Me, I love the sculpture gallery, where you can always find a place to sit down!" 1864

Editor: This lithograph is by Honoré Daumier, titled "Me, I love the sculpture gallery, where you can always find a place to sit down!" It depicts two men on a bench, seemingly bored by the art around them. The textures achieved with lithography add a certain grittiness. What do you make of this piece? Curator: The choice of lithography is key. Daumier used this medium to create mass-produced prints for newspapers. This piece critiques the bourgeois consumption of art, highlighting the disconnect between the elite and the art they passively consume. What labor went into these sculptures, and who truly benefits from their display? Editor: So, it's less about the art itself, and more about who gets to access it, and why? Curator: Precisely. The "sculpture gallery" becomes a site of social commentary, revealing the class dynamics at play. Something for us to consider when in a museum!