ADVANCE NOTICE PRESS RELEASE July 2011
The Etruscans double exhibition in Leiden and Amsterdam
Ancient Italian culture in the spotlights
This autumn the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden and the Allard Pierson Museum will present the public with the fascinating Etruscans, in a double exhibition in Leiden and Amsterdam. Some 3000 years ago, long before the rise of the Romans, the Etruscan civilization was the mostly highly developed culture in central Italy. The two museums will tell the story of Etruscan wealth, religion, power and splendour, each from a different perspective. The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden will focus on Etruscan women, the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam on Etruscan men. More than 700 masterpieces, from the museums' own collections and many foreign museums, will be on display. The Etruscans will run from 14 October 2011 to 18 March 2012.
The remains of imposing Etruscan tombs still dot the romantic landscapes of Tuscany and Umbria. Lovers of Italy and art enthusiasts are equally fascinated by Etruscan art, from magnificent gold jewellery to colourful tomb paintings. The museums in Leiden and Amsterdam will provide a wide public with a detailed introduction to Etruscan civilization in an exhibition that delights the eye.
The Etruscans flourished hundreds of years before the Romans came to power in Italy. Their civilization reached its height between 750 and 500 BC. Etruscan society was highly developed and extremely emancipated. Women enjoyed equal status to men, both in the socio-cultural sphere and in religious roles.
Etruscan women, priestesses and goddesses, the exceptional social position of women, their role as wives and mothers, their beauty ideals, fashion and jewellery, will be central themes in the Leiden exhibition. The Amsterdam exhibition will present the Etruscans from a male perspective, with attention to the wealth and mercantile spirit, displays of power and martial exploits of military leaders, priests and princes.
Highlights of the exhibitions will be the objects found in various princely tombs in Italy. These include golden jewellery and bronze weapons, figures of gods and goddesses, characteristic ash urns, polychrome frescoes and sumptuously decorated ceramics, accompanied by spectacular 3D reconstructions of the tombs of an aristocratic man and woman, architectural models and films. An additional admission fee will be charged to visit the exhibition at both venues.
The Etruscans double exhibition will be accompanied by a general interest book (€24.95), a Museum newspaper, a special edition of RoMeO, the magazine of the Friends of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (€2,95) and a documentary (€2.95), plus a wide programme of activities, including lectures, guided tours, courses, secondary school educational material and Etruscan tours through Tuscany and Umbria.
'The Etruscans' will feature more than 200 loan items from the National Archaeological Museum (Florence), the Villa Giulia (Rome), the Capitoline Museums (Rome), the Vatican Museums (Vatican City), the Archaeological Museum of Bologna, the British Museum (London), the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek (Copenhagen) and the Royal Museums of Art and History (Brussels).
The exhibition has been made possible with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute, the Italian Embassy, the Mondriaan Foundation, the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund, the European Union Directorate-General for Education and Culture, the Friends of the Allard Pierson Museum, RoMeO (Friends of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden) and the BankGiro Loterij.
Note to editors:
The press preview of 'The Etruscans' exhibition in Amsterdam and Leiden will be held on Wednesday 12 October 2011, at 10.00-14.00 hours. You will be sent an invitation in September.
For more information and visual material please contact:
You can request a review copy of the book which accompanies the exhibition (208 pages, Dutch edition ISBN 978 90 400 7806 4, English edition ISBN 978 90 400 7807 1) from Waanders Uitgevers, (00-31) (0)38-467 34 00, info@waanders.nl
'The Etruscans', 14 October 2011 to 18 March 2012
Allard Pierson Museum, Oude Turfmarkt 127, Amsterdam, www.allardpiersonmuseum.nl, (00-31) (0)20- 52 52 556
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden, Rapenburg 28, Leiden, www.rmo.nl, (00-31) (0)71-5 163 163