When An Art Museum Transforms Into A Cathedral

When An Art Museum Transforms Into A Cathedral
View of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with its new interior lighting presented Tuesday March 11, 2014. The new lighting design at the Notre-Dame cathedral is made of lead fixtures to highlight the XIIth century monument. Around 14 million people visit the Cathedral each year. (AP Photo / Remy de la Mauviniere)
View of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris with its new interior lighting presented Tuesday March 11, 2014. The new lighting design at the Notre-Dame cathedral is made of lead fixtures to highlight the XIIth century monument. Around 14 million people visit the Cathedral each year. (AP Photo / Remy de la Mauviniere)

The world's big national museums are deeply glamorous places. We keep quiet in their hallowed halls, we wander the galleries in reverence, we look at a caption here and there - but, sometimes, if we're honest, deep in our hearts, we may be asking ourselves quite what we're doing there.

Art enjoys unparalleled prestige in the modern world, but the reasons for this are rarely explained in plain terms. Just why does art matter?

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