2024 marks the 200th anniversary for the Egyptian Museum of Turin, established in 1824. For two centuries it has been the flagship of the city.
The permanent collection and the new contemporary art installations created for this celebration are located in a building from the 17th Century slap bang in the city center.
The “Gallery of the Kings”
This gallery is where the biggest and most impressive statues of the collection are on display. At the entrance has been placed a work by the Lebanese artist and film-maker Ali Cherri.
For this project the artist selected seven artifacts from the permanent collection, which for various reasons are entirely or partially missing their eyes. These were reconstructed according to the artist’s vision, hence the title of the installation Returning the Gaze (2024).
The Ellesiya Rock Chapel
In 1960, Lake Nasser was created, following the construction of the Aswan Dam. Abu Simbel temple, and other great buildings from ancient Egypt were under threat, and an international Campaign was launched by UNESCO, in order to save the temples of Nubia.
As a gesture of gratitude for Italy’s participation in the rescue operation, the Egyptian government donated the Ellesiya rock temple to Italy. This one, located in Nubia, would have been submerged by the waters of Lake Nasser. A captivating video-installation retraces the saving of this temple, on display at the Egyptian Museum of Turin since 1970.
Nefertari and Ramses II
Among the re-modelling of the museum, there is a room dedicated to Nefertari, the favorite wife of the pharaoh Ramses II. Through a historical model and a brand-new video it is possible to explore her large tomb, located in the Valley of the Queens. The items of the funerary equipment, found in 1904 during the Italian Archelogical Mission can be seen.
One of the highlights of the collection not to be missed is the statue of Ramses II. It is one of the first items to arrive in Turin in 1823 and admired by the French scholar François Champollion during his official visit to the collection. Ramses II was the most powerful pharaoh of the 19th dynasty. He is represented sitting on his throne – lower right, on a smaller scale, there is the statuette of Nefertari, and, to his left, his eldest son.
Since the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Turin is very rich, we recommend a private guided tour through the things you don’t want to miss.
Our tour lasts around two hours. If you like, you can combine the visit of the museum with a short discovery of the city, for a total duration of three hours.
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If you want to read more about the extraordinary Egyptian Museum of Turin check out these two articles: