The British Museum has announced a brand new exhibition set to open at the London venue from the 21st April to the 14th August 2016, examining 400 years of history on the Italian island of Sicily.
Bringing new insight into history of the Italian island, Sicily: Culture and Conquest will reveal the artistic and architectural achievements through objects in the British museum’s own collection as well as loans from Sicily and around the world.
As a comprehensive guide to the largest island in the Mediterranean, the exhibition also examine closely the way in which the island has developed across the centuries according to the many different aspirations of its inhabitants and cultures.
This display will focus on two major eras: the first focusing on the arrival of the Greeks from the latter half of the 7th century BC and their encounters with earlier settlers, while the second part will concentrate more on the enlightenment under Norman rule, about AD 1100 – 1250.
Sicily: Culture and Conquest will bring together 200 objects to reveal a rich variety of material in both of these periods as well as its lasting legacies on the island today.
The exhibition is being brought to the museum with the support of Julius Baer International Limited.
Joanna Mackle, deputy director of the British Museum said, “It gives me great pleasure to announce the British Museum’s exhibition on the rich cultural history of Sicily. We are hugely grateful to Julius Baer for their long term partnership with the British Museum and their generous support of this exhibition. We are also delighted to be working in collaboration with Sicilian colleagues to bring the fascinating story of this island to life.”
The British Museum has been working closely with the Sicilian Ministry of Culture since 2010 on several loans, both at the British Museum and in Sicily, with this latest exhibition providing a new collaboration between the institutions.
Sicily: Culture and Conquest will run at the British Museum from the 21st April to the 14th August 2016. Entry to the exhibition will cost £10, with under 16’s able to visit for free. For more information and to book tickets visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/sicily.aspx