The article presents results of the author’s research into the history of an art collection handed over by Polish national Yulian Kupchynskyi to museums of the Ukrainian SSR between 1951 and 1954. Despite the collection’s remarkable size and diversity, neither the donor’s identity nor the circumstances under which he obtained and subsequently donated the items have hitherto been subjected to scholarly inquiry. The purpose of this research was not only to establish factual information concerning Kupchynskyi and his collection, but also view this episode as a case study on private and institutional collecting in post-WWII East-Central Europe. For this purpose, the author suggests a theoretical framework that combines approaches of material culture studies, Alfred Gell’s ‘art nexus theory’, anthropology of gift giving, and ‘inconvenient heritage’ studies. Research has demonstrated that Kupchynskyi acquired most pieces in his collection during his stay in Silesia between 1946 and 1950. It core was composed of works by German artists who were forced to leave the region after its occupation by the Red Army and annexation to Poland, as well as other items that, mostly likely, had previously belonged to them or their family members. Due to the lack of sources, it is not possible to determine the precise circumstances under which Kupchynskyi obtained the items. Instead, the author analysis the collector’s own statements and proposes several hypotheses concerning this subject. Between 1951 and 1954, with several governmental bodies acting as mediators, Kupchynskyi handed over several hundred items to museums in Kyiv and Lviv. According to the donor, in doing so he sought to ‘serve his Fatherland’. However, the author considers other factors that might have been behind this decision. The risk of political persecution seems to be the most important one. The paper outlines the initial composition of the collection and its ‘afterlife’ in Ukrainian museums, namely the dispersal across several institutions and claims regarding most objects’ ‘poor artistic value’. Instead, the study demonstrates the significance of the gift in general and some of the items, such as paintings, drawings, and prints, specifically. Finally, the author charts some of the links between the case under consideration and broader research issues related to private and institutional collecting, particularly (but not exclusively) in post-WWII East-Central Europe. Funding. The publication was created under the scholarship Programme of the Juliusz Mieroszewski Centre for Dialogue.
The aim of this study is to map the relationship between collectors in the field of genealogy and heraldry and the work of Bohuslav Balbín. The main emphasis was placed on the genealogical and heraldic collection of Gottfried Daniel Wunschwitz, now stored in the National Archives, as well as other collections of a similar nature stored there and in the Archives of the National Museum. A thorough analysis of the primary sources revealed that while Balbín’s writings were one of the most important sources of information for G. D. Wunschwitz on members of the aristocracy in the Kingdom of Bohemia from the Middle Ages to the 17th century, his followers in the second half of the 18th century and later hardly worked with older genealogical literature (including the work of B. Balbín). The focus of modern genealogical collecting shifted to other sources, primarily modern printed works.
This study explores visitor behaviour at The British Museum using data science methods applied to novel sources, including audio guide usage logs and TripAdvisor reviews. Analysing 42,000 visitor journeys and over 50,000 reviews, we identify key drivers of satisfaction, segment visitors by behavioural patterns, examine tour engagement, model spatial navigation, and investigate room popularity. Behavioural clustering uncovered four distinct visitor types: Committed Trekkers, Leisurely Explorers, Targeted Visitors, and Speedy Samplers, each characterised by different levels of engagement and movement. Tour usage analysis revealed high drop-off rates and variation in completion rates across different language groups. Spatial flow modelling revealed that accessibility and proximity, particularly aversion to stairs, shaped visitor paths more than thematic organisation. Room popularity was more strongly predicted by physical accessibility than curatorial content. We propose practical strategies for improving engagement and flow, offering a scalable framework for visitor-centred, data-informed museum planning.
The functional characterization of a measure, an essential but delicate aspect of Stein's method, is shown to be accessible for stable probability distributions on convex cones. This notion encompasses the usual stable distributions \textit{e.g.} Gaussian, Pareto, \textit{etc.} but also the max-stable distributions: Weibull, Gumbel and Fréchet. We use the definition of max-stability to define a Markov process whose invariant measure is the stable measure of interest. In this paper, we focus on the Gumbel distribution and show how this construction can be applied to estimate the rate of convergence in the classical coupon collector's problem.
Shoham Shimon Berrebi, Eitan Yaakobi, Zohar Yakhini
et al.
We extend the Coupon Collector's Problem (CCP) and present a novel generalized model, referred as the k-LCCP problem, where one is interested in recovering a bipartite graph with a perfect matching, which represents the coupons and their matching labels. We show two extra-extensions to this variation: the heterogeneous sample size case (K-LCCP) and the partly recovering case.
This article examines the historical, cultural, and legal aspects of private collecting of archaeological artifacts and the activities of so-called “detectorists” (individuals engaged in the search for antiquities). The relevance of the topic stems from a longstanding conflict between the professional archaeological community and amateur collectors, as well as the legal uncertainty surrounding independent excavations. Highlighting the issue of how archaeological valuables enter both museum collections and private holdings, and briefly reviewing existing international approaches to its resolution, the author proposes integrating private initiative into the system of archaeological heritage protection at the legislative level to preserve the scientific value of such finds.
The article deals with the prehistory of the formation of modern zoological collections housed in museums of Kyiv with a significant mammalogical component. A large part of the oldest collections appeared as a result of hunting practices and have all the features of trophy collections. In fact, such collections formed the basis of the first scientific collections and exhibitions. The collectors and owners of such materials were mainly noble people. The appearance of small-sized objects was a sign of the next stage of development of collections that played a more didactic role, were reference specimens for various fauna control services or objects of special scientific research. Such collections were accumulated primarily as regional collections with low exhibition value, but important for the education and professional activity of biologists. The third stage was the systematic collection of various systematic and ecological groups for research and exhibition purposes. The fourth process is related to the sustainable functioning of taxidermy laboratories, for which it was important to have a constant supply of new materials, usually without expeditions or active collecting. The fifth part of the story, which in recent years has become an important source of acquisition, is the transfer of private and work collections, exchanges between museums, and acquisitions of collections from other, smaller institutions. Brief information about the main museum collections is given. From the entire corps of museum workers and collectors, a group of those who were closely associated with museums and worked in them or in related departments that took care of collections was singled out. These people belong to four groups (one or more): researchers, museologists, collectors, and taxidermists. A total of 32 people were briefly profiled, divided into two groups: ‘researchers-collectors’ and ‘collectors-taxidermists’. The names of key collectors and researchers whose materials have enriched museum collections are also given. The dynamics of the ‘museum’ group of persons in time is considered, with the distribution of years of life of each person. The trends of the current and possible further development of the museum society are analysed, which by all indications demonstrates a catastrophic decline over time, which began with the extinction of ‘collecting’ expeditions, the closure of studios and the loss of taxidermy schools, a general decrease in attention to morphological materials, and a change in public demands.
Abstract. The present contribution presents a synthesis of more than 400 years of collecting and studying African mammals by Italian researchers. The former colonies in Libya and the Horn of Africa (Eritrea and Italian Somalia) are excluded as Italian research in those areas is relatively well-known. The review highlights how Italian researchers, explorers, and collectors contributed to early knowledge of African mammal biodiversity in several countries, notably Egypt and Uganda, although this contribution is frequently overlooked today. It is suggested that the absence of a centralised national museum dedicated to what we now term ‘biodiversity’ has contributed to a suboptimal use of these valuable collections.
According to conventional accounts of Norwegian museum history, Norway’s history of collecting began in the second half of the eighteenth century. However, this article, which is the first comprehensive investigation into Norway’s involvement with seventeenth-century collecting cultures, shows that the country’s museum and collecting history began more than a hundred years earlier. It addresses the question of infrastructure: namely, how Norway and Norwegians came into contact with Danish and other continental collectors and collections. While some networks engaged explicitly in the exchange of rarities, others were primarily administrative, diplomatic or mercantile in character, allowing curiosities – and also curiosity – to travel. The article seeks to portray a museal culture of seeing, finding, transmuting, collecting, communicating, distributing and publishing specimens and artefacts. It demonstrates how well integrated Norwegians and Norway were in the culture of Kunstkammern and cabinets of curiosities, and it concludes that Norway has been profoundly overlooked in the history of early modern collecting.
En la segunda Cumbre Internacional del Hábitat de América Latina y el Caribe 2023 se alertó sobre la necesidad de acelerar el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS) ante el elevado riesgo de incumplimiento de la Agenda 2030. En este vaivén entre utopía y realidad, se observa la creciente vulnerabilidad de la sostenibilidad en los paisajes de valor patrimonial de los valles andinos centrales argentinos (VAC). Ante ello, analizamos cómo la dimensión patrimonial del paisaje al relacionar a través de la gestión aspectos perceptuales, materiales e históricos, se transforma en un potencial acelerador de ODS, con la particularidad que el patrimonio público con las vías de circulación como articuladoras, contribuyen al vínculo entre el paisaje y el diseño de estrategias de desarrollo sostenibles. Para ello aplicamos una metodología interdisciplinaria cualitativa en clave patrimonial del Observatorio y laboratorio patrimonial del paisaje cultural de los (VAC) CONICET - FAUD UNSJ.
Museums. Collectors and collecting, Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology
The article contains a presentation of the concept and preliminary results of the new virtual project "Collectors of the Russian Ethnographic Museum", launched in 2021. Its purpose is to recreate individual portraits of scientists, correspondents and museum staff, personal and creative biographies of those who during the XIX — early XXI c., and were associated with the museum field. The fates of some of them are quite well known, others are little studied due to various circumstances. It's not just the famous specialists (ethnographers, linguists, folklorists, archaeologists, historians, etc.) and correspondents, but also representatives of different social circles, scientific and political views, levels of education, nationalities, confessions, ages, characters; with different motivation for ethnographic research and subjective approaches to their own collecting activities. Currently, according to the concept and well-thought-out scheme, materials about more than 130 people have been published, more than 30 museum employees participated in their creation. URL:https://ethnomuseum.ru/collections/projects/collectors/.
Pak Yŏngch’ŏl (1879-1939) was a high-ranking government official, businessman and prominent art collector during the modern period. After Pak’s passing in 1940, his family donated Tasan mun’go (the Tasan Collection) to Keijō Imperial University in accordance with his will. The collection was comprised of 115 artworks, which included calligraphy, paintings, and craft items, along with a fund of 20,000 won. Pak’s financial support laid the foundation for the establishment of the Keijō Imperial University Museum two years later. Both the donation of his collection and the subsequent founding of the museum distinguish Pak Yŏngch’ŏl from contemporary Korean collectors. This study sheds light on Pak Yŏngch’ŏl’s character as an art collector and his perception of the museum based on a detailed investigation of the Tasan Collection housed at the Seoul National University Museum.Pak Yŏngch’ŏl did not actively participate in the appreciation and collection of art until the age of fifty. He began collecting art around 1928, coinciding with his appointment as the vice president of Chosŏn Commercial Bank. Pak then spent the next decade focused on building his collection. This study focuses on Pak Yŏngch’ŏl’s inspection tour of European countries in 1928, which was the catalyst that spurred his considerable devotion to the collection of art. During the tour, Pak Yŏngch’ŏl had the opportunity to experience various museums symbolizing modern civilization in Europe. The Louvre Museum in particular, which was first opened to the public and renown for its outstanding collection, seemed to have informed Pak of the value of art. The cultural treasures exhibited in the public spaces of museums would have reminded Pak that the preservation of historical artifacts is one of the indicators of civilization.In the pre-modern period, the appreciation and collection of calligraphy and painting were typically private activities limited to the individual’s personal domain. However, the political and social changes brought about in the modern period redefined art collecting within a public context. Pak Yŏngch’ŏl, who formed a collection and donated it with the purpose of establishing a museum, epitomizes the shift in perceptions of art collection in Colonial Korea.
В период сталинского режима множество выдающихся имен было вычеркнуто из анналов истории. Не стали исключением и художникиавангардисты, чье творческое наследие долгое время пребывало в крайне неблагоприятных условиях. Миссия по сохранности произведений искусства была возложена на родственников и коллекционеров. Именно в таком положении оказалось целое собрание работ Густава Клуциса (1895–1938 гг.) — мастера плакатного дизайна и пионера советского фотомонтажа. В статье рассмотрены основные пути миграции работ художника и история формирования музейных коллекций. Основной целью стало выявление посредством анализа торгов и продаж масштаба его востребованности в контексте современности. During the Stalinist regime, many outstanding names were erased from history. Avant-garde artists, whose creative legacy arrived in extremely unfavorable conditions for a long time, were no exception. The mission to preserve the artworks was entrusted to relatives and collectors. An entire collection of works by Gustav Klutsis, a master of poster design and a pioneer of Soviet photomontage, found itself in such a situation. The article considers the main ways of migrating the artist's works and the history behind the formation of museum collections. The main objective was to identify, through analyzing trades and sales, the scale of his demand in the context of the present day.
Lucas Rafael Stefanel Gris, Ricardo Marcacini, Arnaldo Candido Junior
et al.
Automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems play a key role in applications involving human-machine interactions. Despite their importance, ASR models for the Portuguese language proposed in the last decade have limitations in relation to the correct identification of punctuation marks in automatic transcriptions, which hinder the use of transcriptions by other systems, models, and even by humans. However, recently Whisper ASR was proposed by OpenAI, a general-purpose speech recognition model that has generated great expectations in dealing with such limitations. This chapter presents the first study on the performance of Whisper for punctuation prediction in the Portuguese language. We present an experimental evaluation considering both theoretical aspects involving pausing points (comma) and complete ideas (exclamation, question, and fullstop), as well as practical aspects involving transcript-based topic modeling - an application dependent on punctuation marks for promising performance. We analyzed experimental results from videos of Museum of the Person, a virtual museum that aims to tell and preserve people's life histories, thus discussing the pros and cons of Whisper in a real-world scenario. Although our experiments indicate that Whisper achieves state-of-the-art results, we conclude that some punctuation marks require improvements, such as exclamation, semicolon and colon.
The digitisation and preservation of language and folklore sound collections are highly relevant issues for many archival institutions in the Russian Federation. The folklore archive of the Udmurt Institute of History, Language and Literature in Izhevsk has not been an exception to this. The first folklore and language recordings on analogue magnetic tapes appeared in the early 1960s. In subsequent years, local folklorists and linguists made numerous expeditions to survey all areas of Udmurtia and the neighbouring regions where the Udmurts lived. Estonian researchers also participated in the recording of the Udmurt language and folklore during expeditions both in Estonia and outside. The article covers the joint efforts of Estonian and Udmurt scholars in collecting Udmurt folklore and language materials, which are currently stored at the Estonian Folklore Archives.
A wind farm can provide reactive power at sub-transmission and transmission buses in order to support and improve voltage profiles. It is common for the reactive power capability of a wind farm to be evaluated as the sum of the individual turbine ratings. However, such an assessment does not take into account losses over the collector network, nor the voltage constraints imposed by the turbines and network. In contrast, the paper presents a method for determining the range of reactive power support that each turbine can provide whilst guaranteeing satisfaction of voltage constraints. This is achieved by constructing convex inner approximations of the non-convex set of admissible reactive power injections. We present theoretical analysis that supports the constraint satisfaction guarantees. An example illustrates the effectiveness of the algorithm and provides a comparison with a fully decentralized approach to controlling wind farm reactive power. Such approaches have the potential to improve the design and operation of wind farm collector networks, reducing the need for additional costly reactive power resources.