Happy birthday British Museum: Ten of the best exhibitions our critics have seen at the BM

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

The British Museum opened its doors 256 years ago today. Click on the links to read each exhibition review

A photo of a solid sculpture of a Chinese warrior figure in a hat and suit of armour© British Museum
The First Emperor - China's Terracotta Army, 2007-2008

In the Reading Room, the largest collection of archaeological finds from the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago, featured 12 complete clay warriors buried with him.

An image of a colourful tapestry illustrating a woman in a dress around an imagined map© Grayson Perry
Grayson Perry: The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman, 2011-2012

Shamanism, magic, motorbikes and the terrific tapestry, Map of Truth and Beliefs, in a short tour of the people's potter's head. "It is a great source of imagination," said Director Neil MacGregor.

A photo of a smooth ancient gold helmet against a black background© The Trustees of the British Museum
Beyond El Dorado: Power and Gold in Ancient Colombia, 2013-2014

A trance-inducing show of the hold gold has held over humans, this one featured the sounds of crickets and engravings by indigenous craftsmen hinting at the darker side of colonialism. Is gold a currency or a way of contacting the spirit world?

A photo of a drawing showing a sculpted square block within a kind of grey ocean© Ahmed Mater / Trustees of the British Museum
Hajj - Journey to the Heart of Islam, 2012

Likely the closest non-Muslims could get to making the Hajj - a pilgrimage to Mecca during the final month of the Islamic year - this exhibition was "visually and educationally stunning". Highlights included a 9th century Qu'ran.

An image of a sketch showing a woman in a gown kneeling on a four-poster bed© Courtesy Kraushaar Galleries, New York
The American Scene: Prints from Hopper to Pollock, 2008

Few museums outside of the US are as well placed as the BM in terms of American prints. Beginning in 1905 and ranging from the Regionalists and the Great Depression to the Cold War and abstract expressionism, 74 artists contributed 174 works here.

A photo of an illustration from ancient Japan showing a robed couple copulating© The Trustees of the British Museum
Shunga: Sex and Pleasure in Japanese Art, 2013-2014

Hundreds of years ago, shunga - "spring pictures", or, as Curator Timothy Clark put it, a "love letter to sex" - presented sex lives as loving, passionate, comforting, rough and illicit. These fantasists had their works compared to their European counterparts in a show which grabbed the headlines.

A photo of a large light brown helmet with cut-out eyes from a Viking historical hoard© Trustees of the British Museum
The Sir Paul and Lady Ruddock Gallery of Sutton Hoo and Europe, AD 300-1100, opened 2014

The famous ship burials became a prism through which a flourishing age of art and learning blossomed in this display from the so-called Dark Ages. Grave goods were at its core, with a huge variety of exhibits including 40 kg of Viking silver.

An image of a multicoloured drawing of a nude woman next to various objects© Trustees of the British Museum
Picasso to Julie Mehretu: Modern Drawings from the British Museum Collection, 2011

A diverse cross-section of the museum's collection: condensed and incomplete works by the likes of Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Otto Dix, Giorgio de Chirico and Sol LeWitt, testifying to the importance of drawing throughout the 20th century.

A photo of a large white human skeleton against a black background© Trustees of the British Museum
Ancient Lives, New Discoveries, 2014

Mummies are synonymous with the BM: for many, their striking, forensic nature makes them the clearest early memory of visiting. Extensively detailing the ancient bodies, this fresh look opened with the oldest in the collection - a young man from around 3500 BC, his last meal revealed by a CT scan of his stomach.

A photo of a mask made out of brown tape with a face coloured shades of blue© Trustees of the British Museum
Moctezuma: Aztec Ruler, 2009-2010

The spoils of the Mexica, ruled by Emperor Moctezuma between 1502 and 1520, included a two-headed serpent and a two-foot tall pot used to hold hearts. The finale of this exhibition told the story of their conquistador Spanish invaders.

  • What have been your favourite British Museum exhibitions? Leave a comment below.

More from Culture24's coverage of the British Museum:

British Museum wins Art Fund Prize for A History of the World in 100 Objects

Decapitated head of Emperor which amazed archaeologists in Sudan in 1910 goes on display

Archaeological Treasure: Portable Antiquities Scheme finds at the British Museum


Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk//history-and-heritage/art513375-happy-birthday-british-museum-ten-of-the-best-exhibitions-our-critics-have-seen


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