CLOSED: The World That Wasn't There
18 October 2019 – 15 March 2020. An enchanting journey of discovery into the ancient cultures of Central and South America.
In roughly 2 500 BCE – 1 500 CE, cultures and peoples that no one in Europe knew anything about developed and flourished in Meso-America and the Andes. When explorers arrived on the continent alien to them, they encountered unforeseen skills, customs, natural resources and art – an entire world that they did not know existed.
The splendour of these civilisations has now faded away, but we can still learn about them thanks to original artefacts preserved by collectors.
The unique exhibit contains 200 items, such as Zapotec urns, Aztec sculptures, Mayan ceramics, vases and textiles from the Nazca area in Peru as well as gold items from the Moche culture in the Andes.
The rare Pre-Columbian items are on loan from the private collection of Giancarlo and Inti Ligabue. The National Museum of Finland organizes the exhibition The World That Wasn’t There in co-operation with StArt s.r.l. and Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue. The exhibition is curated by Dr. André Delpuech and Dr. Jacques Blazy.
Guided exhibition tours in English:
1:30 p.m., 24 November, 27 December, 31 December and 3 January