The Museum of the Senses: Experiencing Art and Collections - Sensory

In this review of The Museum of the Senses Constance Classen examines how museums and artworks can be understood beyond vision, arguing that sensory experience reshapes art history. The book is for readers curious about the cultural history of perception and museum professionals seeking fresh ways to interpret collections. Its single biggest reason to buy is the vivid reorientation it offers: rather than treating artworks as purely visual objects, it restores touch, smell and even taste to the narrative, showing how senses shaped use and meaning in historical collections.

Key Features

• Sensory-focused approach: Reframes art history by emphasizing how people historically handled, smelled and perceived collection pieces, which changes interpretation of objects.
• Wide-ranging examples: Draws on topics from relics and cabinets of curiosities to the tactile quality of a Rembrandt and the scent of Monet's garden, illustrating concepts with concrete cases.
• Historical depth: Traces practices across periods to show how sensory engagement with collections shifted over time and affected social meaning.
• Contemporary relevance: Concludes with discussion of modern museums using interactive and multimedia displays to stimulate the senses, useful for practitioners.
• Authoritative voice: Written by a leading scholar in the cultural history of the senses, providing well-informed interpretation rather than speculative claims.

Who It's For

The Museum of the Senses is best for museum studies students, curators and scholars of sensory history who want a focused study on how nonvisual perception informs collections and display. Those already familiar with mainstream visual art history will find its reframing both provocative and practical for exhibition ideas.

Readers seeking a general survey of art movements or a richly illustrated coffee-table book should look elsewhere; this is a scholarly, argument-driven volume that emphasizes interpretation and cultural context over visual reproductions or catalog-like detail.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers a distinctive, research-driven perspective that reintroduces touch, smell and taste into museum narratives.
• Uses evocative examples like relics and Monet's garden to anchor theoretical points in real objects and practices.
• Provides practical connections to contemporary museum practice, useful for curators planning interactive exhibits.

Cons

• Not a pictorial guide; readers looking for many images or mainstream art history overview may find the focus narrow.

Specifications

Title	The Museum of the Senses: Experiencing Art and Collections
Series	Sensory Studies Series
Author	Constance Classen, David Howes
Subject focus	Cultural history of the senses, museum studies
Main topics	Touch, smell, taste, relics, cabinets of curiosities, interactive displays
Intended audience	Museum professionals, students, scholars

Our Verdict

The Museum of the Senses is a thought-provoking, well-researched book that invites museums and readers to rethink how objects were experienced. It is good value for anyone interested in sensory history or practical museum interpretation, offering usable concepts rather than decorative visuals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this book discuss modern museum practices?
Yes. It concludes with a discussion of contemporary museums using interactive and multimedia displays to stimulate the senses.

Is this a heavily illustrated volume?
No. The book emphasizes argument and cultural history over pictorial presentation, so it is not a visual catalog.

Who authored the book?
It is written by Constance Classen with David Howes, both associated with sensory studies and cultural history.