Canalblog
Editer l'article Suivre ce blog Administration + Créer mon blog
Publicité
Alain.R.Truong
Alain.R.Truong
Publicité
Visiteurs
Depuis la création 50 863 684
Archives
Newsletter
Alain.R.Truong
2 août 2019

'Between Oedipus and the Sphinx: Freud and Egypt' at Freud Museum, London

@-Freud-Egypt-exhibition-logo-copy-web-1

London - This new exhibition explores Freud’s enduring fascination with Egypt evident both in his writings and in his collection of antiquities.

A painting of Oedipus’ encounter with the Sphinx famously hung beside Freud’s couch. Nobody doubts the significance of Oedipus to the development of Freud’s thought but the presence of the Sphinx reminds us of his less celebrated interest in Egyptian culture. Egyptian artefacts form the largest part of Freud’s collection and lie behind his ‘archaeological metaphor’ – one of his most productive methods for exploring the psyche and developing the practice of psychoanalysis.

Freud was thinking about the archaeology of the mind in tandem with important developments in professional archaeology and Egyptology. This fascinating new exhibition will bring Freud into dialogue with his contemporary Flinders Petrie, the first UK Professor of Egyptology and enable us to compare their thoughts on archaeology and their respective collections of artefacts.

Exploring the themes of  Egyptomania, sexuality, death and more, objects from Freud and Petrie’s own personal collections will be displayed side by side.

Egypt also played an increasingly prominent role in Freud’s writings. In his psychobiography of Leonardo da Vinci, the Egyptian goddess Mut holds the key to the artist’s sexual and creative identity. Egypt again takes centre stage in Freud’s final work Moses and Monotheism, published 80 years ago, where he makes the scandalous claim that Moses was not a Jew but an Egyptian.

This Summer exhibition will explore all these themes and more, with the opportunity to see some never-before displayed Egyptian treasures from Freud’s collection up close.

7 August 2019 to 13 October 2019.

3980_Print-of-Abu-Simbel-Freud-Museum-London

3124_1-1024x861

Falcon-headed figure, Egyptian. Photo: © Freud Museum

The falcon-headed figure above is a representation of the god Horus, son of Isis, who avenged the murder of his father Osiris, king of the underworld. Freud probably bought this as part of a group of figures bought from the Viennese antiques dealer Robert Lustig in 1931.

3386_2-1 (3)

Human headed Ba bird, Egyptian, Late Period 747BC -332BC. Photo: © Freud Museum

3286_2-1-1024x661 (2)

Amulet of the goddess as a vulture, Egyptian, Late Period 716BC – 332BCPhoto: © Freud Museum

Freud’s collection features many figures of Ba-birds. Ba-birds, like the one above, were often found atop Ptolemaic funerary stelae, representing the ba (individuality) of the deceased. Other aspects represented the body itself and the ka, or life-force. Unlike the body, the ba was not a prisoner of the tomb. It was represented in the form of a bird as it could take flight in order to visit the land of the living and enjoy the pleasures that it left behind.

3484_1

Falcon reliquary, Egyptian. Photo: © Freud Museum

This falcon reliquary above is of Haroeirs, perched on a hollow rectangular container. The reliquary is in fact a still-sealed coffin for a sacrificed animal.

3386_2-1

Statuette of chicken, East Asian, date unknownPhoto: © Freud Museum

3386_2-1 (2)

Falcon wearing atef-crown, Egyptian, Late Period 747BC -332BCPhoto: © Freud Museum

3386_2-1 (4)

Terminal in the form of a papyrus sceptre with a falcon, Egyptian, Late Period 747BC -332BCPhoto: © Freud Museum

hp5

Sigmund Freud's interior. Photo: © Freud Museum

Publicité
Publicité
Commentaires
Publicité