Could the internet ever replace traditional galleries as the main source for artistic consumption?
Dixon: I don’t think that the internet can ever replace the gallery. There is no substitute for the experience of seeing a great Renaissance Altar Piece; the internet and TV only give you an idea. People walking around it gives you an idea of the scale, but still, with luck, people want to go and see the real thing. Mostly, it serves to push people in the right direction. Whether the internet will replace the contemporary art gallery as the primary mode through which people see art, I don’t know. It is unlikely as people who make the art want to make it compelling. They like the experience of creating compelling objects. If art was to be made for that medium, made for the internet, it could be very good, but the National Gallery website will never be as good as going to see the gallery collection. It all comes down to how good a work of art can be made for the internet. There is the invention of the Red Camera, which Spielberg now uses for all his films. Anyone who can afford a £30,000
