Following expansions and renovations, the Museo Egizio in the Italian city of Turin recently reopened its doors. In celebration of its 200th anniversary, new gallery spaces and contemporary art exhibitions were added to the world’s oldest Egyptian museum.
The Museo Egizio Holds 40,000 Ancient Egyptian Artifacts
Dating back to 1824, the Museo Egizio is housed in the 17th-century palace of the Collegio dei Nobili in Turin. The collection of the Museo Egizio comprises over 40,000 ancient Egyptian artifacts. These include mummified remains, significant papyri, and an anonymous sculpture of a woman that is dedicated to the gods of Memphis. An intact ancient Egyptian tomb was also acquired by the museum in the early 20th century. According to a press release, the museum approached its bicentennial renovations with key questions in mind: “While these historic artifacts are highlighted as the centerpieces of a contemporary museum, can their original context still be conveyed? Can the gallery captivate a broad audience while imparting deep historical knowledge?”
New Gallery Opens at Oldest Egyptian Museum
The Museo Egizio opened a brand-new Gallery of the Kings on November 20. This is just one of the new features included in the ongoing expansion, which is being overseen by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, a Dutch studio. The expansion has added nearly 6,000 square feet to the Egyptian museum, doubling its gallery space. It has also added a new entrance to the Temple of Ellesyia, a rock-cut temple that originated near the archaeological site of Qasr Ibrim in modern-day Egypt.
The Gallery of the Kings houses the Museo Egizio’s vast collection of ancient Egyptian sculptures. The gallery was designed to illuminate the original context of the statues “rather than showcasing them as mere protagonists of a contemporary spectacle,” said the museum. Using architectural elements and immersive digital projections, the Gallery of the Kings intentionally takes viewers on a journey from darkness into light. According to the Egyptian museum, this is “a concept that historically symbolized the process of creation in Egypt and is often associated with kings and gods.”
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Egyptian Museum Also Adds Contemporary Art
Alongside the debut of the Gallery of the Kings, the Museo Egizio opened two contemporary art exhibitions. Returning the Gaze by Lebanese artist Ali Cherri showcases a series of bronze prosthetic eyes, drawing attention to the fact that many ancient Egyptian artifacts in the collection “have had their eyes gouged out or their faces disfigured by looters and through acts of colonial destruction.” The museum also opened a three-part exhibition by Egyptian artist Sara Sallam, Through Tutankhamun’s Eyes: Alternative Perspectives on Egyptology. Both exhibitions are on view until January 2025.
