how optimistic should we be about opportunities for research into collections in the twenty-first century?

Answer 1

Very, because there is so much interesting art out there. The Mellon collection isn't the only one worth loooking at. (There are otherrs of course but this one always seems to get a lot of attention).
By the way, your avatar, is that your work? It's tiny,. but from what I can see I like it.

Answer 2

Unfortunately I am not optimistic at all. I think that there is a shift away from people going to museums to see real art about real places and art of significance to world history. Take for example the new collection at the V&A in London where they are showing a collection of outfits and photographs of the career of Kylie Minogue. (Apparently Prince is trying to be the next pop star to show his clothing). It seems visitors now only have an interest in things that they have already seen on tv or in other media over the years. There is even talk about cutting down on the amount of history taught in schools in the UK. This is a very sad state of affairs and I'm not sure how it can be resolved in this day and age. I think the internet also has almost tried to take the place of museums by allowing access to information that would only have been previously available at museums and by travelling and doing lots of research into specific fields. The terracotta army from China is also due to be exhibited in London this summer, and perhaps this could do a lot to change the situation, but I do also believe that the rise in availability of holidays and travel over this century has also depleted interest in such things.