“Why do we collectors do what we do! Inside the Head of a Collector answers that question. Dr. Shirley Mueller’s new book is unlike any other I have ever read. In it she draws upon her unique background in neurology, economics, and art collecting to tell us both about her wonderful porcelains AND about how a collector’s brain responds to art. The rush of adrenaline one has when you spot something great for your collection . . . The agony of disappointment when your beloved object turns out to be a fake!

I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Mueller as a friend, curator and trustee of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. Her keen mind and passion for art makes this book a pleasure to read.”

⁠— Charles L. Venable, PhD, is the Director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields: A Place for Nature & the Arts. He is the author of multiple books and articles on the decorative arts.

“Inside the Head of a Collector is a unique and remarkable book, which is part behavioral economics and part neuroscience, intertwined with personal anecdotes. Dr. Shirley Mueller’s passion for Chinese porcelain, experience as a collector, and knowledge as a neurologist animate this beautifully illustrated and clearly written book.

The collector interested in the neuropsychology of decision making, the scientist interested in the practice of collecting art, and the museum visitor interested in a behind-the-scene insight into exhibits will want to read this book.”

⁠— Anjan Chatterjee, MD, Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, is Elliott Professor and Chief of Neurology, Pennsylvania Hospital and author of The Aesthetic Brain: How We Evolved to Desire Beauty and Enjoy Art

“Mueller is a prominent collector and scholar of Chinese export porcelain, as well as a physician board-certified in Neurology and Psychiatry. This intersection of expertise led her to explore her own intentions while collecting art and the applicability of those factors to a broader community of collectors. Her research provided the motivation for this book, a worthy acquisition for those who have felt the thrill of the hunt and the angst of the one that got away (or the one that was not quite right).

Collecting objects gives enormous pleasure to approximately 1/3 of the population, providing such benefits as intellectual stimulation, the excitement of the chase, and leaving a legacy. Alternatively, the same pursuit can engender pain by paying too much for an object or unknowingly buying a fake. In this three-part treatise, Mueller introduces new scientific research in neuro- and behavioral economics that delivers an objective way to enhance the positive aspects of collecting and minimize the negative. Her information is relevant not only for collectors but also for the museum staff who interact with collectors and the dealers of objects desired by collectors. The author beautifully blends art in science for the benefit of the reader and the case studies that accompany each section add real-world context to the discussion.”

⁠— The Magazine of the Decorative Arts Trust, Winter 2019-2020

This summer Shirley M. Mueller, M.D. published her latest book, Inside the Head of a Collector: Neuropsychological Forces at Play. Readers of Fine Art Connoisseur may recall Mueller’s articles in 2010 and 2011 about her passion for collecting Chinese export porcelain and the scientific aspects of her decision making. Since then, she has been researching this 192-page book, published by Lucia Marquand and available via Amazon, and in 2017 she guest-curated an exhibition for the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Elegance from the East: New Insights into Old Porcelain. In that show, she combined export porcelain with concepts from neuroscience to make historical objects personally relevant to visitors. Mueller’s new book provides scientific answers to the question “why do collectors do what they do?” by drawing upon her unique background in neurology, economics, and art collecting. She analyzes, for example, the rush of adrenaline we feel when we spot a find, or our agony when it turns out to be a fake. By analyzing her own experiences and illustrating objects in her collection, Mueller clarifies why collecting offers intellectual stimulation, the thrill of the chase, and satisfaction through creation of a legacy.

— Fine Art Connoisseur, September 2019