Introduction
"Our Egyptian collections are among the finest in the UK, and the Predynastic and Protodynastic material is among the best in the world. However, the present galleries are dark and the objects are in crowded and confusing displays. Now the first phase of the Museum's transformation has been completed, Rick Mather has produced an impressive design that will see a completely new interpretation and display of the Ashmolean's Egyptian collections."
Dr Christopher Brown, Director of the Ashmolean.
The £5 million redevelopment includes the refurbishment of the four existing Egyptian galleries, along with the transformation of the Ruskin Gallery which is currently occupied by the Ashmolean Shop, into a 5th gallery to house the Predynastic holdings. New doorways will link the galleries together, presenting the collections under the broad themes of Nubia and Amarna, Dynastic Egypt, and Egyptian Death and the Afterlife. The project will involve the relocation of the Shop into a newly converted space next to the Café on the lower ground floor.
The redevelopment of the Egypt galleries will build on the success of the first phase of transformation at the Ashmolean which addressed the most urgent challenges of the old Museum, namely conservation, interpretation and accessibility.
BD online
Ashmolean Museum opens £5 million Rick Mather Extension
Mark Wilding - 24 Nov 11
The Guardian
Ashmolean Museum: the critic's view
Jonathan Glancey - 23 Nov 11
Client
University of Oxford / Ashmolean Museum
Location
Oxford, UK
Value
£5.3m
Completion
Nov 2011