Museum collections are not set in stone - they evolve. Every year, the Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts publishes new research, bringing readers fresh ideas about art, artists, and cultures across the museum’s collections. The five articles included in this volume transform our knowledge of works that span continents and centuries. They use the tools of scientific analysis, meticulous examination, and archival investigation to uncover new information about works of art that have been part of the Detroit Institute of Arts’ (DIA) collection for many years. This research refines our understanding of the origins and significance of the artworks discussed. Taken together, these articles offer a compelling portrait of the ways museum curators, conservators, and scholars collaborate to reshape our perception of art and archaeology.
The DIA’s collection continues to inspire and generate new research, and while the articles in this issue of the Bulletin offer compelling evidence for new ideas, they also introduce questions that remain unanswered. It is our hope that, with time, future scholars will continue this important process and reshape our understanding of art and artifacts as new information comes to light.
