Image: Face and Shoulder from an Anthropoid Sarcophagus, Ptolemaic Period (332-30 BE). Black basalt, 18-1/2 x 20-1/2 x 5 inches. Brooklyn Museum; Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 37.1516E. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
ROCHESTER, NY, XX, 2022 – The Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester is pleased to announce its holiday exhibition, Striking Power: Iconoclasm in Ancient Egypt. The exhibition, which examines the patterns of organized campaigns of destruction inflicted on ancient Egyptian works of art for political, religious, and criminal reasons, will be on view from November 20, 2022 – March 5, 2023.
Striking Power is an exploration of a little-known aspect of Egyptian sculpture: the deliberate damage inflicted upon images for political and religious power. The exhibition takes as its starting point the question that many museum visitors ask when they see ancient sculpture: Why are the noses broken on Egyptian statues? Viewed through the lens of spiritual and ritual practices, Striking Power, which showcases 39 powerful works organized by the Brooklyn Museum, examines the patterns of damage to images from these organized campaigns of destruction. The exhibition illustrates how damage to a statue can be interpreted to reveal who broke it and the motivation behind the destruction. It does so by pairing damaged works—from fragmented heads to altered inscriptions—alongside undamaged works.
The ancient Egyptians believed that deities, as well as the soul of a deceased human, could inhabit stone, wood, or clay images, allowing these supernatural beings to have a presence in this world. In ancient society, religion and politics were inextricably linked. As a result, this imagery also held powerful ties to political leadership.
Just as the image could be activated by rituals, it could be deactivated through selective destruction of key features. These features included specific body parts and royal or divine symbols. Because the activated image was conceived as a body for a supernatural being, the power in the image could be harmed by intentionally damaging its form. Scholars call this type of damage iconoclasm.
Nancy Norwood, MAG’s curator of European art and the presenting curator for the exhibition, calls Striking Power a fascinating glimpse into a little-known aspect of ancient Egyptian culture. “The idea that these sculptures were damaged intentionally in order to remove their power adds a significant dimension to the understanding of this fascinating culture, and a new and intriguing way to look at extraordinary objects that have survived for thousands of years.”
This exhibition is organized by the Brooklyn Museum in collaboration with the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and is curated by Edward Bleiberg, Curator Emeritus, Brooklyn Museum.
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In Rochester, the exhibition is sponsored by an anonymous donor, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Robert Lehman Foundation. Funding is also provided by Nan and Peter Brown, Liz and Eric Rennert, Barbara and George Segel, Mindex Technologies, Inc., and Lois Gauch.
Support is also provided by the Thomas and Marion Hawks Memorial Fund, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Fund, and the Nancy R. Turner Fund for Special Exhibitions.
About The Brooklyn Museum
About the Brooklyn Museum Founded in 1823 as the Brooklyn Apprentices' Library Association, the Brooklyn Museum contains one of the nation's most comprehensive and wide-ranging collections enhanced by a distinguished record of exhibitions, scholarship, and service to the public. The Museum's vast holdings span 5,000 years of human creativity from cultures in every corner of the globe. Collection highlights include the ancient Egyptian holdings, renowned for objects of the highest world-class quality, and the arts of the Americas collection, which is unrivaled in its diverse range from Native American art and artifacts and Spanish colonial painting, to 19th- and early 20thcentury American painting, sculpture, and decorative objects. The Museum is also home to the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, which is dedicated to the study and exhibition of feminist art and is the only curatorial center of its kind.
The Brooklyn Museum is both a leading cultural institution and a community museum dedicated to serving a wide-ranging audience. Located in the heart of Brooklyn, the Museum welcomes and celebrates the diversity of its home borough and city. Few, if any, museums in the country attract an audience as varied with respect to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, educational background, and age as the Brooklyn Museum
About the Pulitzer Arts Foundation
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation presents historic and contemporary art in dynamic interplay with its celebrated Tadao Ando building, offering unexpected experiences and inspiring new perspectives. Since it was established in 2001, the Pulitzer has presented a wide range of exhibitions featuring art from around the world—from Old Masters to important modern and contemporary artists—and exploring a diverse array of themes and ideas.Highlights have included the exhibitions Ruth Asawa: Life’s Work (2018-19); Blue Black, curated by artist Glenn Ligon (2017); Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form (2016-17); raumlaborberlin: 4562 Left: Amunhotep, Son of Nebiry, ca. 1426‑1400 BCE Right: Djehuti, ca. 1539‑1390 BCE Enright Avenue (2016); Reflections of the Buddha (2011-12); Urban Alchemy / Gordon MattaClark (2009-10); and Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue (2005). In addition, these exhibitions are complemented by programs that bring together leading figures from fields ranging from art, architecture, design, urban planning, and the humanities.
About the Memorial Art Gallery
The Memorial Art Gallery showcases visual art from antiquity to the present day, including the outdoor public Centennial Sculpture Park. In addition to its permanent collection, MAG offers a year-round schedule of special exhibitions, lectures, concerts, tours, after-hours social events, and family activities.
Hours: Wednesday–Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, and until 9 pm on Thursdays and select Fridays. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
Admission: $20; senior citizens, $18; college students with ID and children 6–18, $9. Always free to members, University of Rochester faculty/staff and students, and children 5 and under. Half-price general admission Thursdays from 5–9 pm is made possible by Monroe County, with additional support from FULLMEA5URE.
Discounted admission tickets are available when purchasing online. For more information, call 585.276.8900 or visit mag.rochester.edu.
