The aim of the study conducted in the space of a contemporary art gallery with non-professional participants was to check whether getting familiar with the curator's description influences the emotional reactions caused by the works and their aesthetic evaluation. Hypotheses according to which the viewers who were given the descriptions assessed contemporary art as more fascinating, more understandable, more like a masterpiece, and more preferable (one that they liked more) than viewers who did not know the descriptions, were confirmed. However, the hypothesis that knowledge of curatorial information increases the appreciation of the beauty of contemporary art was not verified positively. Familiarizing with curatorial descriptions influenced one of the five analysed dimensions of emotional reaction induced by watching art-emotional valence, increasing positive feelings in the confrontation with artworks. Conclusions from the conducted research are of a basic nature (refer to the results of previous experiments and include proposals for further empirical studies), as well as an applicational one (they can be used, among others, by an art gallery in the education process).

We aimed to investigate whether educational activities in the form of guided tours through an exhibition change the appreciation of art when young experts (i.e. first-years students of artistic faculties) view contemporary art in a gallery. Participants viewed and assessed the artworks presented at the gallery twice -before and after taking part in a guided tour led by a gallery educator. The guide-led tour increased both understanding and ratings (the hedonic value) of the artworks, which is consistent with the "effort after meaning" hypothesis and also with the model of aesthetic appreciation and aesthetic judgments. Our results suggest that the reception of works of art by young experts is changed when they are under the influence of extensive contextual information.