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MoMA and Tate announce joint Internet ventureNEW YORK (Reuters) -- In the first venture by art museums to start a profit-making company, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and London's Tate Gallery said on Monday they had joined forces to develop Internet services for art, culture and design. The museums, two of the world's most prominent, said in a joint statement the New York-based e-business would provide Internet access for people to learn about and purchase many forms of art and architectural models and design objects, beginning in late 2000 or early 2001. The as yet unnamed company would be managed and staffed independently of the two institutions and a MoMA official said eventually the new company could go public. "The Museum of Modern Art and the The Tate Gallery have long been pioneers in the museum world, and we look forward to extending that groundbreaking spirit to the Internet," MoMA Director Glenn Lowry said in the statement. MoMA was founded in 1929 and has the foremost collection of 20th-century art including 100,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and architectural and design displays. The Tate Gallery was founded in 1897 and houses the national collections of British art from the 16th century to the present. "The 21st century is all about access," Tate Director Sir Nicholas Serota said in the statement. "This new venture will promote deeper access to the best of visual culture around the world to the benefit of all those who are interested and engaged in art." The new venture will include a Web site offering design products and educational features such as lectures and concerts. "It's to provide knowledge and allow people to get access and education about modern arts and culture and also to be able to purchase related products," Liz Addison, project manager for the new e-business, told Reuters. "It will be rich in content and it will also have a community component and a commerce and merchandising component." She said the museums wanted to reach a much broader international audience and help develop interest in art design and culture. They wanted to generate new revenues for the museums to support current and future development projects. "It's for the greater financial stability of these two institutions," said Addison, who is also MoMA's director of marketing and communications. Next month the The Tate is opening the $208 million Tate Gallery of Modern Art opposite St Paul's Cathedral in London and the MoMA has embarked on a $650 million expansion. Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. RELATED STORIES: 'Things' in hindsight: 'ModernStarts' at MoMA RELATED SITES: The Tate Gallery, London |
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