the observational switch

Kasper König, the late German polymath, was a well-known German curator who was influential in contemporary art, particularly through his work at institutions like the Museum Ludwig in Cologne and his curation of major exhibitions like Sculpture Projects Münster. König asserted that he needed to make an “observational switch”—that is, change or adapt his way of looking at and understanding art—especially when encountering new or different forms art that challenge conventional knowledge and experience. Such a switch is neither easy nor effortless.

Any serious interest in art takes time, even more so when its origin, context, and ideas may be unfamiliar; when the media may be unconventional or novel, and when its total costs defy expectations. The connections between Impressionism and Pop art or Italian Futurism and late Soviet art may appear unusual, even weird. But art history is neither linear nor logical. It is messy, cluttered with fads, fashions, and fictions.

Museums—particularly multi-department (or encyclopedic) ones—champion the rich diversity of media and genre. In New York, the Metropolitan Museum of Art advocates the notion of the “observational switch,” both inside and out of the museum. From The Facade on Fifth Avenue, to The Great Hall, and up to the The Roof Garden, The Met promotes international, aesthetic diversity. Similarly, the museum has rehung several galleries with inescapably daring pairings.