17 October 2008 – 1 February 2009

Akhenaten

Having inherited a flourishing civilization, King Akhenaten and his wife Nefertiti (14th century B.C.) proclaimed the existence of a single deity, of whom the sun was the tangible manifestation, and freed themselves of the millennia–old polytheistic traditions. To promote their belief and display their new faith, they disrupted the ancient artistic and literary canons and founded a city (Tell el-Amarna) whose urban planning was primarily conceived to serve the unique god, creator of all life. However, intolerance took hold of proponents and adversaries of this reform, and all memories of this episode were erased by their successors on the Pharaonic throne. The exhibition examines in detail the connections that were established between power, art and religion. It also shows how archaeologists are able to patiently reconstitute, from masterpieces and more humble day-to-day testimonials, the aspirations and accomplishments one of the most original of all the reigns of Ancient Egypt.

Address

Musée d'art et d'histoire
Rue Charles-Galland 2
1206 Genève
phone +41 22 418 22 00
http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/mahg

Opening Hours

Daily 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., closed on Monday.

Description of the Museum

Erected between 1903 and 1910 and designed as an encyclopedic museum, it covers the whole of western culture, from its origins to the present days.

The three sectors of the museum comprise Archaeology (prehistoric, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Roman); Fine Arts (some 400 paintings from the Renaissance to modern times, and sculptures by artists such as Houdon, Pradier, Rodin, Arp, Giacometti, Tinguely, etc.); Applied Arts (objects from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, such as furniture, textiles, pewterware, arms and armor).

Within 10 days
starting exhibitions
ending exhibitions