Review: British Museum Treasures of Heaven Exhibition

My dad has an interest in Christian art and iconography. He was visiting London at the end of June this year, and happened to have a clear diary on the day the British Museum’s new exhibition opened. I decided to go along with him, as it’s always extra enjoyable to see an exhibition with someone who knows a little about the subject. Not that you need to with this exhibition. The explanatory notes were more than adequate. What I particularly liked about them, too, was how they were informative, cheerfully written and - in common with the exhibition as a whole - didn’t have a proselytising agenda.

The exhibition showcases over 150 objects from around the world, including drawing on the British Museum’s own collections. Among those were the Roman mosaic depicting Christ as featured in the BBC Radio 4 / British Museum History of the World in A Hundred Objects. The Vatican and other major museums around the world also loaned some fascinating examples of exquisite art.

The exhibition takes a chronological approach. The older examples are simpler, possibly because at that stage Christianity was an underground religion in Roman Europe. The Medieval period is when things get excessive, and heading into the Reformation arguably ludicrous. It was fascinating to see how branches of the church started to blatantly make stuff up in order to increase pilgrimages and sell more stuff. I had quipped to Dad about if all the bits of the “one true cross” peddled in this manner were put together, it would have been huge! Then turned the corner to see a quote from one of the major reformers saying pretty much the same thing, only about how many heads some saints may have if you put together all the bits of skull purporting to be them.

Other reviews (e.g. Londonist, 24-VI-2011 and the Economist at about the same time) have made a note of the staging of the exhibition. It’s in the old Reading Room, and unlike some of the other exhibitions I’ve seen there this one does use the space and existing architecture to great effect. The music is suitable, too, being monastic chants.

All in all, if you are at all interested in the art inspired by Christianity - regardless of what you think about the religion itself - then this is a recommended exhibition.

Official website: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/treasures_of_heaven.aspx
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