The Five Rules For A Thriving Museum

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Some curators may still wish that great art didn't require a hard sell, but a money crunch has done much to soften that attitude. Cash from governments and foundations is dwindling, and that forces museums to bring in more free-spending visitors to survive. The original Tate Gallery — now Tate Britain — got approximately 90% of its revenues from government funding 20 years ago. Now the group gets 40%. It's a similar picture elsewhere in Europe. Corporate sponsorship has filled some of the shortfall, but in return for their donations, companies expect to see crowds. According to Johanna Waterous, a director of McKinsey & Company's London office, which has worked with Tate Modern since its conception, the new museum had not only to be a showplace of great works, but "it was an imperative to make it a commercial success." That it has been, without question. But how are Tate and other museums staying competitive in this new era? Below, five rules.

RULE 1: BELIEVE IN, BUT RESPECT, THE BLOCKBUSTER
the most powerful marketing weapon museums wield is the blockbuster show. Once-in-a-lifetime retrospectives of artists or periods can entice people to line up for blocks to get in. The Louvre's retrospective of the French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres earlier this year brought in 380,000 visitors. In 2002, Tate Modern's Matisse and Picasso show drew 467,000. "Undeniably, blockbusters drive attendance," says Kate Farmery, head of public services at Manchester Art Gallery in northern England.

But weapons can misfire, and some critics think that these megashows have skewed museums' priorities. In a recent harangue, Michael Henderson, an arts columnist at London's Daily Telegraph, called Tate Modern an "unappealing art factory that we are supposed to admire because it attracts so many visitors." Is a museum's purpose to enlighten and educate the public or to stage must-see entertainments? The real answer, according to McKinsey's Waterous: both. "How can you educate people if you don't bring in an audience?" she asks. Income from blockbusters, says Tate director Nicholas Serota, also enable museums to mount smaller, more scholarly shows.

RULE 2: GET CREATIVE, NOT CUTE
The economics of blockbusters are risky. A large show can cost from $1 million to $3 million to mount and requires publicity to succeed, so commercial tie-ins are increasingly common. This year, for a special exhibition on Modernism, London's Victoria and Albert Museum joined forces with British furniture chain Habitat. There were in-store events, including lectures, and the stores sold co-branded rugs and posters with Modernist themes. When Tate mounted a Paul Cezanne show, it hooked up with U.K. sandwich chain Pret A Manger, which added a sun-dried tomato and cheese "Cezannewich" to its menu. Fun idea, but one that almost crosses the line into frivolity.

Museums try to steer clear of promotions that might crack their academic veneer or turn a work of art into a parody of itself. (Think of what's happened to The Scream.) "If we generate 100 ideas, we'll likely use only 10," says Will Gompertz, head of Tate Media. "If you think you are belittling the art or overly commercializing it, you don't do it."