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The Museo Egizio in Turin celebrates its bicentennial by examining the evolving role of museums in contemporary society. This presentation will address how museums function as dynamic mediators between past and future, transforming material culture into shared heritage through epistemological processes of selection, interpretation, and display.Drawing on recent scholarship in the field of museum studies, fundamental questions about museum ontology will be discussed: How do institutions founded during the colonial period engage with decolonization discourse? What ethical frameworks should guide provenance research and restitution debates? How can museums balance scientific rigor with accessibility and community participation?
To approach such questions the concept of "agency" in museum collections will be addressed, demonstrating how objects accumulate multiple biographies as they move from archaeological contexts through collection histories to contemporary display. In this regard, museums must acknowledge their role not as neutral repositories but as active constructors of knowledge, shaped by historical power structures and contemporary values.
Digital technologies are also crucial for addressing contemporary museum ontologies. These offer unprecedented opportunities to reconstruct contexts, reunite dispersed collections virtually, and democratize access to cultural heritage. However, technological innovation must be coupled with critical reflection on whose narratives are privileged and how colonial frameworks persist in classification systems and interpretive approaches.
The Museo Egizio's bicentennial provides a perfect case study for reimagining museums as spaces of dialogue, where contested histories can be examined transparently, where diverse communities find representation, and where the past becomes a resource for understanding present complexities. Museums remain socially sustainable only by transforming from repositories of objects into laboratories for critical engagement with memory, identity, and shared futures.
Christian Greco has been Director of the Museo Egizio since 2014, overseeing major renovations, scientific initiatives, and international collaborations. He holds degrees in Classical Literature and Egyptology, and earned his PhD from Pisa University. Before taking up the position of Director of Museo Egizio, he was curator of the Egyptian section of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden of Leiden and member of the Epigraphic Survey of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago in Luxor. Since 2011 he is Co-director of the joint Dutch-Italian mission to Saqqara. Greco serves as a member of the scientific committees of several national and international museums and research institutions.
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The lecture starts at 6 pm. We work on a first-come, first-served basis as the number of seats is limited. We open our doors at 5:30 and close them at 6:15 or earlier when the lecture room reaches its full capacity.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
NVIC - Netherlands-Flemish Institute in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt
