The Museum of Civilization just celebrated 35 candles. To celebrate this anniversary, The newspaper and a team from the museum identified six notable exhibitions among all the exhibitions presented since October 19, 1988, commented on by press secretary Agnès Dufour.
Suffer to be beautiful
Photo by Pierre Soulard, provided by the Musée de la Civilization
From October 20, 1988 to August 27, 1989
From the beginning, the museum has chosen not to ignore social issues and to force its visitors to question themselves. “This exhibition was interested in behavior, precisely in the relationships that women have with beauty, that abstract principle for which the well-being of these ladies is so often neglected.”
We, the First Nations
Photo by Nicola-Frank Vachon, provided by the Musée de la Civilization
From October 21, 1998 to August 4, 2013
The first permanent exhibition on First Nations and Inuit people was on display for almost 15 years and reflects the museum’s commitment to making space for the 11 indigenous nations that live in Quebec. “This exhibition offered a global, non-folkloristic view of their reality.”
Gratia Dei. The ways of the Middle Ages
Photo by Jacques Lessard, provided by the Musée de la Civilization
From May 21, 2003 to March 28, 2004
This ambitious production lifted the veil on life in the years 1000 to 1550 and brought innovation with it. “The museum offered a tour of the exhibit using small handheld computers with four characters to choose from. It was a first in the history of museums in Quebec.”
Rome. From its origins to the capital of Italy
Photo by Nicola-Frank Vachon, provided by the Musée de la Civilization
From May 11, 2011 to January 29, 2012
Equally ambitious was this immersion into the heart of 2,600 years of history in a city that has continued to fascinate for millennia thanks to the presentation of never-before-exhibited artifacts. “This exhibition, produced entirely by the Museum of Civilization, surprised more than one Roman museum director, because never before has a museum institution anywhere in the world addressed the history of the Eternal City.”
Hergé in Quebec
Photo from the archives of Stevens LeBlanc/Le Journal de Québec
From June 21st to December 3rd 2017
An exhibition that shaped the history of the museum and attracted many visitors. “420,593 accesses to the gates were recorded, an average of 84,100 visitors per month.” It is a record. It must be said that Hergé in Quebec provided a rare (it was a first in North America) and entertaining foray into the world of a great cartoonist and his favorite character, Tintin.
Oh shit!
Photo from the archives of Stevens LeBlanc/Le Journal de Québec
From June 17, 2021 to March 26, 2023
In a shitty time, the pandemic, the museum surprises by preparing an exhibition about… poop, from the disgust it provokes to its management and valorization. “A little-known topic, unloved and yet common to all mortals,” recalled project manager Coline Niess at the opening. This bold creation from the Musée de la Civilization received an Excellence Award from the Société des Musées du Québec for its innovative character.
- For its 35th anniversary, the museum has created a showcase with 35 objects from 35 exhibitions, which can be admired until March 10, 2024. In addition, entry is free all weekend, November 4th and 5th. An exhibition celebrating the 40th anniversary of hip-hop in Quebec will open to the public on November 10th.
The museum in numbers
Almost 500 exhibitions
More than 225,000 collectibles preserved
20,618,709 visitors
Source: Museum of Civilization