New ways of seeing our past
How best can beautiful objects be displayed, to enhance our understanding and enjoyment of them? How can modern architecture and design help put our past into a fresh perspective, for the greatest number of people? What, in short, should a modern museum be like?
Planning the Ashmolean’s redevelopment has been an opportunity to address these fundamental questions. The new Ashmolean will not just be a greatly enlarged and improved version of its former self. It will be one of the world’s most significant and innovative cultural showcases.
While the transformation is sure to astound anyone familiar with the Ashmolean of old, there’s an important sense in which it represents a natural, evolutionary progression.
At its opening in 1683, the Ashmolean was the world’s first ever public musuem, a beacon of learning for a newly scientific age. Over the centuries, as an integral part of the University of Oxford, it has remained at the forefront of modern thinking on how musuems can best foster learning, while giving enjoyment and inspiration to the widest possible audience.
With a breathtaking new building, and a completely fresh approach to how our collections are displayed, the Ashmolean will be equipped to lead the way in meeting the challenges of the next 300 years.
