Carsten Schubert (born 1961), art dealer, publisher and writer, traces the evolution of the Western museum, its concept and reception from the time of the first public art collections in the late 18th century to the recent opening of the Tate Modern in London. Among the topics raised in the book are the interaction of the museum with the general cultural, political, economic areas of society, as well as the status and functions of the curator, which have changed during the period under review.