This case study investigates how and why the modern art museum evolved, and seeks to uncover the reasons behind the global success and continuing authority of the white cube. It examines the effects of this mode of display on the perception and understanding of works of art and demonstrates that, far from being a neutral context, the white cube impinges on the viewing experience in many subtle ways. As we will see, this type of display has been subjected to forceful critique on the grounds that it conceals the ideological character of the modern art museum. At the centre of this study will be the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the earliest and most influential museum of this type, which is credited with establishing the white cube as an international standard.
