Exhibitions

Musée d’archéologie méditerranéenne – Musée de la Vieille Charité, Marseille (FR) 8 April 2022 - 16 October 2022

Objets migrateurs
Trésors sous influences

“Objects in migration” have always existed, whether we are considering populations, deities, ideas, languages, musics, cooking habits, or the like. In the present day, when the reception of those designated as “migrants” is increasingly on the agenda, especially in the Mediterranean area, the Museums of Marseille wish to highlight some exemplary journeys, de-demonize the idea of migration, and show how these migrating objects – a source of cultural enrichment – contributed to form, spread and develop the civilization we consider as ours.

Curators : Barbara Cassin / Muriel Garsson

Studying the routes of specific individuals and objects enables us to reveal the links connecting the shores of the Mediterranean sea both in ancient and modern times. When on the move, objects are disconnected from any definitive identity. They take part in numerous networks of exchanges, witnessing and provoking significant changes in value even as they are travelling. The aim is to provide a record of the types of transformations due to migrations. One of the singularities of this exhibition is to create a dialogue between the ancient and the modern, between invaluable pieces of art and everyday objects.

The exhibition project is deployed on all premises of the Centre de la Vieille Charité, in a way hitherto unseen in the history of the Museums of Marseille.

Apart from the local heritage, which represents 80% of the pieces on display, the exhibition boasts prestigious loans from museums or cultural institutions such as the Louvre, the Quai Branly or the Cité de l’immigration.