The category of the museum, as it has been understood by museums of contemporary art over the last 30 years, is in need of a reassessment. This volume reflects on the museum of contemporary art in all its paradoxical characteristics. Over four chapters consisting of three theoretical essays and a section dedicated to discussion, questions regarding the roles and tasks of the museum of contemporary art are addressed. The anthology discusses the museum of contemporary art's double character as a site of production as well as conservation, and emphasizes its relation to different public spheres, also exploring ways of dealing with the standards that emerge from the practices of collecting, organizing and educating. Included are contributions from art historians and cultural experts Claire Bishop, Buro trafo.K, Martha Buskirk, Beatriz Colomina, Bettina Funcke, Adrian Heathfield, Christian Kravagna, Oliver Marchart, Donald Preziosi, Sophia Prinz, Beat Wyss and Artur Zmijewski.