The Week’s Muse: 19 July

A round-up of recent news and comment from the Muse Room

The Imperial War Museum reopens to the public today

The museum unveils its reconfigured atrium and First World War galleries, and will play a leading role in wider First World War commemorations. Director-general of the IWM, Diane Lees, tells us more

Should photography in museums be banned?

‘In the museum, the camera replaces the act of close looking’. But should it be banned? Danielle Thom weighs up the arguments for and against photography in museums.

Are the decorative arts still relevant to contemporary artists?

Decorative and applied arts are often sidelined in art-historical and contemporary discussions. Should they be? Lisa Zeiger looks at their the changing status, and Shonagh Manson argues that our categories are outdated.

Free Downloads: are Deller’s digital editions ‘collectible’ in the traditional sense?

Own Art has released 10,000 artworks by Jeremy Deller which can be downloaded, for free, online. Who is collecting them? Camilla Apcar discusses the significance of digital downloads.

Inside the World Conservation and Exhibitions Centre

© The Trustees of the British Museum

The British Museum’s new wing has enhanced its ability not just to display, but to care for its collections. David Saunders introduces the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Art Everywhere is back on the UK’s billboards

The second edition of ‘Art Everywhere’ is about to begin, with 25 British masterpieces reproduced on billboards across the country. Which works will fare best outdoors among the adverts?