This book shows why American social policy was incomplete with respect to the arts and argues that art museums are an instructive example of the accommodation of public and private interests. It is useful for political scientists, policymakers, scholars of philanthropy, artists, and historians.

Introduction to the Transaction Edition 1. Museums for the Public 2. Impulse and Justification 3. Sources and Patterns of Museum Philanthropy 4. Philanthropy and Museum Policy 5. Private Desires and Public Welfare