The exhibition contains about 70 objects organised according to age. But it does not show history, rather peoples, beliefs and cultures. It spans a period of 9,000 years, starting with a clay mask discovered in the desert and running until an installation by the contemporary artist Sigalit Landau. Curator Yigal Zalmona and exhibition director Krisztina Jerger give visitors just a few milestones along the way, but one never feels lost.
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The exhibition is organised around the concept of the sacred, and low lighting and the deep blue walls of the exhibition space add to the effect. There are just one or two objects displayed on each wall, which brings out their importance. The piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls in the show is just 40 centimeters, but its spiritual impact is unmistakable.
The religion of Islam is represented by just one object in the exhibition: several pages from a richly painted Koran made in 17th century India. The Jewish faith is seen in a Torah cover from the destroyed synagogue of Krakow. Visitors can also see life-size anthropoid mummy coffins, Hanukkah candle holders, a photograph taken of the Shroud of Turin in the 19th century, and works by Rembrandt, Poussin, Rodin, Chagall, Duchamp and Rothko, as well as by contemporary artists Walinger and Boltanski.
The Heritage of the Holy Land - Treasures from the Israel Museum in Jerusalem runs from June 24 until September 6.
Author: Eszter Götz / Photo: Eszter Gordon
