Interview with Andrew Nahum by Harry Parker

In this interview, Andrew Nahum discusses his career, starting as a museum assistant at the Royal Scottish Museum in Edinburgh, becoming Curator of Aeronautics (called Assistant Keeper then), then Senior Keeper/Chief Curator at the Science Museum, London. He highlights his role in two galleries which can still be found in the Science Museum in 2024: the redisplay of the Flight Gallery, which took place in 1993, and the Making the Modern World Gallery, which opened with the new Wellcome Wing in 2000. (He also worked on two further displays which are still in the museum: the ‘Bicycle Tour’ feature in the entrance hall, and the redisplayed James Watt workshop.) Andrew discusses how he brought his background as a magazine writer and editor to bear on these displays. He also details the collecting work he undertook while working as a curator at the museum. Among the more substantive topics of discussion are the challenges of balancing historical and contemporary collecting, the importance of effective museum design, and striking a balance between objects and interpretation in a museum display. Andrew discusses resisting contemporary fashions to abandon traditional collections-based displays in favour of more narrative-led approaches, and in particular the injunction to promote a ‘less is more’ philosophy, where appropriate. He also suggests that profusion can be eloquent, too. He details how the Flight Gallery sought compromises between all these divergent views. Throughout, Andrew stresses the need to preserve and protect autonomy and creativity in curatorial work. The final part of the interview reflects on the complexities of working with industry sponsors, and in particular the learning experience of an exhibition on information technology that involved the input of Austin-Rover.