To the Dijon Fine Arts Museum, rated one of the top museums in the region, though not of course in France. It took me some time to master the intricacies of the audioguide, explained to me by an assistant who looked and sounded half-stoned. Anyway, by the time I got the hang of it, I had noticed that the spoken text was exactly the same as the words written on the display panels.
It is impossible to visit a museum nowadays without asking myself why I bother. This is not altogether a flippant remark. I mean if I were really interested in the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy etc. I would take the trouble to examine the exhibits in detail on a site such as Google Art Project or on the Museum's own website, and to explore the historical and cultural background in far greater detail and in conditions of far greater comfort than would be possible in the museum itself. Besides, since most art is two-dimensional, I am not missing out on much compared to the original.
Why, then, do I sometimes go to a museum? Largely because I find a visit conducive to reflections such as this.
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