Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, in his 2025 BBC Reith Lectures and book 'Moral Ambition,' argues that Europe risks becoming a stagnant, museum-like relic and calls for a moral revolution to counter societal decline driven by unserious leadership. He positions museums, with their high public trust and status as democratic civic spaces, as crucial leaders in this revolution, urging them to move beyond passive neutrality and actively establish ethical standards, combat misinformation, and engage with urgent societal issues like authoritarianism and climate crisis.
The article contends that museums, particularly free-entry public institutions like the UK's National Gallery, are uniquely positioned to intervene in public debates and make "good become fashionable." It highlights the National Gallery's new Modern wing project as a potential platform for this expanded role, suggesting that collecting "paradigmatic" 20th-century art—created during democracy's great tests—can help museums reclaim their relevance and guide society toward a more liveable future, rather than merely preserving the past.