British museums and galleries are dealing with the past, clumsily
What to do (and not do) with shrunken heads and Napoleon’s toothbrush
Forget Cézanne at Tate Modern. Forget Lucian Freud at the National Gallery. If you want to see something on a gallery wall that is really, as arty sorts say, challenging, head to the Wellcome Collection on Euston Road in London. On the white wall of this minimalist space you will find a similarly minimalist exhibit of six small holes; three above and three below. There’s no label, though, and it’s not quite clear at first what they are.
This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Napoleon’s missing toothbrush”
Britain January 14th 2023
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