Every museum offers something unique and valuable to visitors, so museum collections everywhere must be preserved and cherished.
Read our article on the most famous museum and gallery exhibitions that stunned the world to find out which made the list. If you like such interesting and niche lists, you can read more on the following site.
First Impressionist Exhibition, Paris
Impressionism is a well-known and beloved art movement nowadays, but it was quite revolutionary when it first emerged. The First Impressionist Exhibition is perhaps one of the most famous art exhibitions to ever be put together, because it was the first time this art style was introduced to the public.
The exhibition ran between 15 April and 15 May 1874 in a gallery on Rue du Capucines in Paris and it featured paintings by artists like Monet, Renoir, Degas and Pissarro. This exhibition was an act of protest against the perceived archaic artistic tradition of the Paris Salon.
Many critics were swift to dismiss the paintings and one such critic was Louis Leroy. Leroy, however, inadvertently helped popularise the new movement and even gave it its name which comes from the headline of his review – ‘Exhibition of Impressionists’; while the title was meant as a jab, the artists loved it and started calling themselves that.
The First Impressionist Exhibition thus reminds us of the important artistic principles of experimentation and rebellion; every art lover should remember these two virtues.
The Treasures of Tutankhamun, London
When the tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered in 1922, it sparked worldwide interest in the life of the young pharaoh and it created a new wave of interest in Egyptian history. The artefacts from the tomb were first exhibited in the Museum of Cairo and Egypt only allowed them to travel to other museums for temporary exhibitions in the 1960’s.
The United Kingdom was eager to exhibit the artefacts, and after long talks between the two governments, 50 pieces from the Tutankhamun collection (including his famous gold mask) were flown to London on three planes, two of which from the Royal Air Force.
The temporary exhibition titled “The Treasures of Tutankhamun” was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 29 March, 1972 in the British Museum in London. The exhibition drew so many visitors that Egypt allowed it to continue for three extra months. By the end of the year, 1.6 million people had visited it.
The profits from the exhibition were donated to UNESCO for the preservation of temples in Philae, Egypt.
Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition, Las Vegas
The tragic story of the Titanic ship continues to capture the minds of many all around the world. The eponymous David Cameron film has greatly contributed to that fame which yet again reveals the power of films.
There are many Titanic exhibitions around the world, but there is one in particular which offers an experience like no other – Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition in Las Vegas. It features many items found on the Titanic, along with replicas of rooms and the famous staircase, and even the biggest piece of the ship ever taken out – a 15-ton piece from the hull.
What makes this exhibition stand out, besides its impressive items, is that you assume the identity of a real Titanic passenger. At the beginning of the tour, you’ll be given a replica ticket of a passenger and you’ll only find out their fate (whether they survived or not) at the end of the tour which makes for a very emotional immersion in the history of the Titanic.
This Titanic exhibition is permanent, so you can go whenever you’re able to.
Auschwitz-Birkenau Exhibition, Oświęcim
In 1945, the world found out the potential for human cruelty when various concentration camps in Poland and Germany were liberated by the allied armies.
Telling the story of more than 6,000,000 Jews who tragically lost their lives in the Second World War was not enough; survivors wanted people to see what the reality of the Holocaust and so, they campaigned for the former Auschwitz-Birkenau camp to be turned into a museum.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum was founded by former Auschwitz prisoners such as Tadeusz Wąsowicz and Kazimierz Smoleń and it officially opened on 2 July, 1946 with an act of the Polish parliament.
Visitors of the museum can see the barracks where prisoners were held and the gas chambers where they were tragically murdered by the Nazi regime. There are permanent and temporary exhibitions by Holocaust survivors and states that had victims from Auschwitz.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau state museum stunned the world when it first opened and it continues to. It’s important for all of us to remember what happened there and never repeat it.
