Ancient Egypt is experiencing a renewed boom in the cultural scene, an authentic “golden age” of archaeological and museographic interest. The exhibition of the National Museum of Fine Arts, recently inauguratedsummons from its opening crowds fascinated by the symbolic power of an ancient civilization, the enigma of its rituals and the magnetism of its pharaohs. At the same time, one of the most ambitious exhibitions of the last century with the same theme is being held in New York. A monumental route that brings together significant elements and offers immersive experiences that rekindle the attraction for audiences of all ages.
As if this double impulse were not enough, the world also witnesses the inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museuma long-awaited milestone that promises to redefine the way one of the planet’s vast heritages is preserved, interpreted and displayed. With its state-of-the-art rooms and its renewed narrative, the brand new museum stands as the axis of a global phenomenon that confirms that, far from being exhausted, the legacy of ancient Egypt continues to arouse fascination.
Egypt in New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art inaugurated “Divine Egypt”a selection that brings together nearly 250 pieces that highlight some of the most enigmatic deities on the planet. Open to the public until January 19, 2026, the exhibition provides a rare perspective on how the ancient Egyptians conceived, venerated and lived with their polytheistic religion.
In the words of Diana Craig Patch, curator of art at the institution: “The divine landscape of ancient Egypt is filled with gods; in fact, about 1,500 if we count them all. This exhibition focuses on 25 of the main deities,” she declared.
The proposal emphasizes that sacred images functioned as active intermediaries between the earthly world and the divine realm. The route allows you to follow the evolution of figures such as Horus, Sakhmet and Osiris over millennia, in parallel with transformations linked to beliefs, power structures and political dynamics.
For MET specialists, the validity of the proposal lies in its ability to link the current public with timeless questions. “The Egyptian civilization is one of the most studied and admired, and their gods were the way in which they addressed the great questions of existence,” said the curator. The montage proposes to reflect on how, through multiple stories and representations, the Egyptians tried to understand life and death, a search that maintains resonance in our time.
At the foot of the pyramids
On November 1, after almost twenty years of work, it was inaugurated the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) with a historic, lavish and unprecedented eventwhich was attended by 39 heads of state, monarchs and princes from different countries, as well as hundreds of extras dressed as ancient Egyptians.
The opening began by highlighting the universal character of Ancient Egypt and the international cooperation that allowed the enormous complex to be built, especially the support of Japan, responsible for financing the triangular glass structure inspired by the pyramids of Cheops, Khafre and Mycerinus. Located on the Giza plateau, it demanded nearly 1.2 billion dollars and preserves some 100,000 objects belonging to the thirty pharaonic dynasties.
To size your scale, The complex covers 500,000 m², twice the size of the Louvre Museum and more than two and a half times the British Museum.. During the laying of the final stone, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi stressed that “the silence of the stones not only remembers the past, but illuminates the future.”
Upon entering, visitors are greeted by a colossal eleven-meter-high statue of Ramses II, carved from granite. The figure of the pharaoh who ruled for almost seventy years, more than three millennia ago, was found in 1820 near a temple in ancient Memphis and remained in front of Cairo’s central train station from 1954 to 2006, before its final location in the GEM. Among the numerous treasures housed in its rooms are pieces from Tutankhamun’s tomb, discovered in 1922 by the British archaeologist Howard Carter.
Ancient Egypt in Fine Arts
On November 18, the anthological exhibition opened “Science and fantasy. Egyptology and Egyptophilia in Argentina”, curated by researchers Sergio Baur and José Emilio Burucúa. As a reflection of the historical and artistic interest that Pharaonic Egypt aroused in national culture, more than 180 pieces are exhibited. Authentic sarcophagi, papyri, statuettes, funerary masks, figures, rubbings of sphinxes and busts, vessels, amulets and stones with hieroglyphicsalong with a large corpus of documents, books, magazines, posters and photographs that can be visited until March 1, 2026.
Andrés Duprat, director of the MNBAhighlights: “In Argentina, it is the first time that such significant pieces from Ancient Egypt have been brought together, coming from more than twenty public and private institutions, a selection that reflects the richness of the Egyptian collections in our country and illustrates the interest that the ancient culture has generated in intellectuals, scientists, artists and fans for more than two centuries.”
The tour is organized based on the photographs of the trip to Egypt they took María Teresa Ayerza and Alfredo González Garaño, in 1925. Since 1922, the year of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, both members of an enlightened elite, they felt attracted to know the secrets of the culture that inhabited the banks of the Nile. She – daughter of the pioneer of photography Francisco Ayerza – was concerned about leaving testimony of the journey and thanks to this gesture you can see numerous images, which today belong to the National Academy of Fine Arts, in one of the exhibitors.
The montage also shows the attraction that ancient Egypt generated in Argentine intellectuals, artists and scientists. Figures such as Dardo Rocha, Lucio V. Mansilla and Oliverio Girondo were attracted to that culture so far away from our country.. Thus, in various display cases, the 24 tarot arcana designed by Xul Solar, a copy of “The Beetle” by Manuel Mujica Láinez and the travel book by Jorge Luis Borges and María Kodama are exhibited. Artistic manifestations influenced by this tradition are also presented: the poster for the film “Cleopatra era Cándida” with Niní Marshall, photographs by Facundo de Zuviría of Buenos Aires buildings such as the Luxor cinema, the audio of the song “Tut–Ankh-Amon” recorded by Carlos Gardel and images of the last performance of the opera “Aída” at the Colón theater.
Everything shows that in this revitalized global fervor the attraction for the land of the pharaohs remains intact and calls for new generations to decipher its eternal fascination.
Immersion in the Nile
In addition to the previously mentioned samples, these days the virtual reality show “The Horizon of Cheops. An Expedition through Ancient Egypt” was added, which can be seen during the summer at La Rural.
The experience promises to “enter the heart of the Great Pyramid of Giza and travel in time to one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: a journey to feel, walk, explore, and let yourself be crossed by one of the most fascinating civilizations in history. Technology allows us to cross a threshold impossible in real life: discover hidden passageways, peer into ancestral chambers and experience up close a wonder that forever changed the way we understand the world. An adventure created for adults and children to experience Ancient Egypt as if they were there.”
Supported by Harvard University, the exhibition combines historical data with entertainment. Technology allows us to walk inside the pyramids as if we were there.
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