ALL THAT GLITTERS

THE MANY OBJECTS OF ROME'S MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATIONS

Arielle Xena Alterwaite

History and Theory 64, no. 3 (2025)

Review article on Rome's Museum of Civilizations (Museo delle Civiltà)

This review article examines the various methodologies practiced by Rome's Museum of Civilizations (Museo delle Civiltà) to discuss the contemporary curatorial approaches of traditional ethnographic museums. It adopts a historical and comparative perspective to situate the diverse collections within ongoing debates about art restitution. In emphasizing the unique work of the curators along with that of contemporary artists, this review article demonstrates how their use of history destabilizes rather than solidifies the permanence of museum collections. An analysis of this dynamic artistic and curatorial work reveals exhibited objects’ multifaceted acquisition histories and, in so doing, presents alternative past value systems to counter the homogenizing and commodifying tendencies of the contemporary art market.

“Zemi, rappresentazione di entità soprannaturale,” sixteenth century, Museum of Civilizations, Rome. Photo by the author.