The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts: Balancing International Reach and Strong Local Roots

Serge Poisson-de Haro, François Normandin, Emmanuel Coblence

Serge Poisson-de Haro, PhD, MBA, MSc, is an associate professor at HEC Montréal. His research interests are primarily in the areas of strategy, management of artistic organizations and experiential learning methods. He has co-authored several case studies and research papers on arts organizations published in the International Journal of Arts Management and the International Journal of Case Studies in Management. He recently published a book titled La gestion stratégique des organisations artistiques (JFD Éditions), the English version of which is being released in fall 2013.
François Normandin holds a master’s degree in History (Université du Québec à Montréal), a master’s degree in Public Administration (École nationale d’administration publique) and an MBA (HEC Montréal). A lecturer and researcher at HEC Montréal, he has co-authored several case studies and research studies on arts organizations published in the International Journal of Arts Management and the International Journal of Case Studies in Management.
Emmanuel Coblence is an assistant professor at ISG Paris and a research associate at HEC Montréal and Mines ParisTech, where his doctoral thesis was on the managerialization of art museums. His research, carried out in close cooperation with arts and cultural organizations, focuses on strategic management, business model renewal and innovation processes.

ABSTRACT 
While the most renowned art mega-museums located in global cities are characterized by their attendance figures and the wealth of their collections, museums that are medium-to-large in size and are located in culturally influential cities have also succeeded in making a name for themselves. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has implemented a model that enables it to realize its ambitions by mounting temporary exhibitions that strengthen its local roots and enhance its international reach while maintaining the highest standards. The authors focus on the resources mobilized at every stage in an exhibition’s development (establishing artistic relevance, rallying stakeholders and ensuring financial viability), showing that internationalization is as much a condition as a consequence of an institution’s ability to finance culturally ambitious exhibitions. They conclude by suggesting management approaches that may provide inspiration to other cultural institutions that are medium-to-large in size and have similar resources.
KEYWORDS
Art museum, local roots, international reach, exhibition design process, environment analysis
RÉSUMÉ
Alors que les musées d’art les plus réputés, situés dans des “villes-monde”, se distinguent par le nombre de leurs visiteurs et la richesse de leurs collections, certains musées de taille intermédiaire, localisés dans des villes reconnues pour leur rayonnement culturel, réussissent cependant à tirer leur épingle du jeu. Le Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal (MBAM) a mis en place un modèle lui permettant de réaliser ses ambitions, notamment par l’entremise de ses expositions temporaires, d’un ancrage local et d’un rayonnement international, tout en préservant une grande rigueur académique. Nous proposons un éclairage particulier sur les ressources mobilisées à chaque étape de leur développement (pertinence artistique, mobilisation des parties prenantes et recherche de la viabilité financière) et montrons que l’internationalisation est autant une condition que la conséquence de la capacité à financer l’ambition culturelle des expositions. Nous proposons enfin des pistes de gestion susceptibles d’inspirer d’autres institutions culturelles comparables.
MOTS CLÉS 
Musée d’art, ancrage local, rayonnement international, processus conception exposition, analyse de l’environnement
RESUMEN 
Cuando los museos de arte más famosos, situados en las ciudades mundiales, se destacan por el número de visitantes y la riqueza de sus colecciones, algunos museos de tamaño intermedio, ubicados en ciudades reconocidas por su difusión cultural, logran prosperar. El Museo de Bellas Artes de Montreal (MBAM) puso en práctica un modelo que le permite realizar sus ambiciones, en particular mediante exposiciones temporales, vinculación comunitaria y difusión internacional, así como mediante un constante rigor académico. Nos proponemos arrojar una luz particular sobre los recursos movilizados en cada etapa de su desarrollo (pertinencia artística, movilización de las partes y búsqueda de viabilidad financiera) y mostramos que la internacionalización es tanto condición como consecuencia de la capacidad de financiar la ambición cultural de las exposiciones. Finalmente, sugerimos algunas estrategias de gestión que pueden inspirar a otras instituciones culturales comparables.
PALABRAS CLAVE 
Museo de arte, vinculación comunitaria, difusión internacional, proceso de concepción, exposición, análisis del entorno