Copenhagen
A travelling exhibition of the Nimrud gold is expected to open early next year in a major European capital. The show is being organised by the Copenhagen-based United Exhibits Group, with backing from the Iraqi authorities. The venture should raise over $10 million for Baghdad’s National Museum and archaeological sites with some funding going towards the promotion of Iraqi contemporary art and culture alongside the main show.
The “Gold of Nimrud” project will be run by a highly unusual organisation which is being set up in Baghdad, the Iraq Project Company. It will have four shareholders: the Iraqi government, the Danish government (through its Industrial Fund for Development), a group of international museums and the Copenhagen-based United Exhibits Group.
Discussions are now underway with foreign venues. The British Museum is keen and a Paris venue is expected. Other possibilities include the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the National Museum in Copenhagen as well as venues in Vienna, Madrid and Rome. Discussions are also being held with New York’s Metropolitan Museum, Washington’s Corcoran Museum and Chicago’s Field Museum.
Originally appeared in The Art Newspaper as '...and Nimrud gold in 2005'