From recarved portraits of emperors and castrated statues to maimed women’s bodies and erased inscriptions.

In late 2024, the Glyptotek will open the special exhibition Iconoclasm – Art as a Battleground.

For millennia, people have destroyed art to challenge the established order of things and to demonstrate religious changes and differences. Drawing on the museum’s impressive collection of ancient artefacts, the exhibition will shine a light on humankind’s turbulent relationship with art, and explore what compels us to destroy it.

The emotional, sometimes even violent interaction with the works featured in the exhibition, demonstrates that, even in ancient times, art was a battleground for power struggles and a place where identities where negotiated.

Iconoclasm will present works not only from the Glyptotek’s own collections, but also from the likes of the British Museum in London, the Vatican Museum in Rome and the Altes Museum in Berlin.

Catalogue

The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalogue with contributions from international experts. The catalogue can be purchased in the museum shop or the webshop after publication.

Our sincere thanks for generous support for the exhibition from:

Cover photo: Palace relief from Nimrud © Glyptoteket