Artists

Groupshow

Press release

How Did Ancient Egyptian Artists Fashion Their Works? The Egyptian Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest comprises numerous works of art and craftsmanship from the ancient Nile Valley, which it has been sharing with visitors for nearly a century through successful permanent and temporary displays. This exhibition presents a selection of Egyptian artefacts fashioned for temples and tombs, known to the ancient Egyptians as "houses of eternity". While such objects are now preserved in museums as artworks, they were originally produced with the purpose of using their magical and ritual power to help establish a connection between the divine and earthly worlds, as well as to ensure the deceased's survival in eternity. Thus, for people today, they not only provide an aesthetic experience but also bear witness to the worldview of the Egyptians. Relief portrait reworked for Princess Meritaton, New Kingdom, reign of Akhenaten (1353–1336 BCE), Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen However, as the subtitle suggests, the exhibition offers more than just a presentation of art created "for eternity". By focusing on how and by whom the artworks were created, the exhibition makes them more accessible to visitors. Who were the Egyptian artists and artisans? Which materials were used during the creative process? What rules did they follow? Which symbols did they incorporate into their works to represent eternity? The displayed objects illustrate the creative process, while simultaneously revealing errors made by the artists and artisans, as well as the repair, transformation, or reuse of certain objects. Limestone ostracon with two figures, New Kingdom, 19th–20th Dynasty (13th – 11th centuries BCE), Museo Egizio, Turin / Photo: Nicola Dell'Aquila Based primarily on the Museum of Fine Arts' own collection, the exhibition also shows a few outstanding works from the collections of the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek in Copenhagen and the Museo Egizio in Turin. The stories behind the objects have been uncovered not only through Egyptological research but also through material analyses conducted during years of collaborative work between the OMRRK (the storage and restoration centre of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Hungarian National Gallery, and the Museum of Ethnography) and the Egyptian Collection. Sculptors' model of a ram's head, Late Period (7th – 4th centuries BCE) The exhibition introduces the audience to a world that has been little known to museum visitors until now, one that, in addition to the beauty and religious function of Egyptian art, also illustrates its diversity and the process of its creation. Exhibition curators: Flóra Judit Kevély and Katalin Anna Kóthay The exhibition catalogue is available to purchase at the Museum Shop.