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Interesting to read the back story about the Nippon deal and why photos are banned in the Sistine Chapel. I was head of comms at the National Gallery in London when we started to allow photography in the galleries back in 2015. We wanted people to share their experience of the art online; it seemed like a good way to help spread the awesomeness of the collection among an audience that wasn't showing up in the gallery. But, lots of people taking pics definitely lead to a different experience - and it can interfere with/disturb the experience for others when people are jostling to get the perfect selfie. it's difficult balance to strike. Personally I love taking pics of art (without people) and the info in galleries, so I have a kind of digtal scrap book I can refer back to. But I wonder if other galleries might start banning photography in future?

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Thanks for the insight, Mona. I'm mostly a Londoner - my family is from there - and I lived there for 20 years and love art. So I spent a lot of time in the National Gallery. If I were in the area and had time to spare, I would often pop in - usually to see the impressionists. But yeah, it must be a concern about taking photos. You either hire a guard to constantly tell people 'No photos', or you run the risk of people just using the place as a backdrop for selfies.

The first time I saw the Mona Lisa was in the early 90s, and it was nice. Everyone just looked at the picture and then moved on (usually straight out of the Louvre again). Now, it is horrendous. Some people barely seemed to look at the painting itself, they just take 1000s of selfies. On the other hand, I love taking photos of art and looking back over them later. So it is a tough call.

If I owned a world-famous gallery, which at the time of writing I don't, I would ban them. I would maybe have a specific area for selfies with replicas or something.

Anyway, thanks for the insight!

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