Momies, Mémoires révélées.

"Momies, Mémoires révélées."

from Wednesday, November 19, 2025 to Monday, May 25, 2026

Museum d'Histoire Naturelle | Paris

This fall, as the Musée de l'Homme celebrates the 10th anniversary of its reopening, a special exhibition unveils the captivating and mysterious world of mummies. A subject of both fascination and fear, mummification has been practiced on every continent for thousands of years, revealing the desire for eternity that has haunted humans since the dawn of time.

Three works by contemporary artist Sophie Zénon, captured in Sicilian crypts: Les Momies de Palerme (The Mummies of Palermo), from her 2008 series “In Case We Die,” are presented in the last part of the exhibition: “The study of mummified deceased, an investigation into life.”
This section allows visitors to understand how scientists are able to reconstruct the past by studying mummified bodies. Examinations carried out using medical techniques, imaging, and biochemistry, particularly for dating and genetic analysis, open a window onto a comprehensive understanding of the individual themselves and their entire society. Their lifestyle, health, diet, travel, clothing, beauty practices, beliefs, and funeral rituals can thus be brought back to life from the past.