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Treasures of the Natural World exhibition reaches final stop on world tour
Treasures of the Natural World, a touring exhibition bringing together the very best of the Natural History Museum’s collection, is now open at Melbourne Museum
A heavy footed moa featured in Treasures on the Natural World at Melbourne Museum. Photo by Eugene Hyland
Treasures of the Natural World, a touring exhibition bringing together the very best of the Natural History Museum’s collection, is now open at Melbourne Museum. Melbourne is the final stop of the worldwide tour, which has also seen Treasures of the Natural World visit Japan, Singapore, Taiwan and Canada to audiences approaching 750,000 people.
For the first time in Australia, the exhibition opened at Melbourne Museum after initially being postponed in 2020 due to COVID-19. Treasures of the Natural World is the first international exhibition to open in Australia since the beginning of the pandemic with Museums Victoria and Natural History Museum curators and conservators worked closely to come up with innovative new ways of installing an exhibition during a time of intense travel restrictions and remote working.
Treasures of the Natural World showcases objects unrivalled for their scientific and cultural importance from the Natural History Museum’s collection, from birds that inspired Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution to extraordinary fossils and minerals. Melbourne Museum’s interpretation of the exhibition includes the addition of First Peoples narratives, representing an important step in acknowledging the complex history of some of these objects and respecting the deep knowledge and connection First Peoples have of and with the natural world.
Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum in London said, ‘We know that seeing these astonishing specimens face-to-face has an incredibly powerful effect and it is by working with international partners that allows us to share this experience with audiences beyond London. Everyone who visits Treasures of the Natural World in Melbourne will come away with a better understanding of our planet and a real passion to protect it.’
CEO & Director of Museums Victoria Lynley Crosswell ‘said I am delighted that we can at last welcome visitors to see this wonderful exhibition at Melbourne Museum. Treasures of the Natural World features highlights from one of the world’s greatest museums, London’s Natural History Museum. As they experience the exhibition, we think that visitors will have a sense of real joy and connection with our most important treasure - the natural world. Every object in the exhibition tells a unique and important story about our changing relationship with nature and the environment.’
UK Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage said: ‘I am delighted that, despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic, my department was able to help this incredible exhibition conclude its international tour at the Melbourne Museum. The exhibition is the perfect opportunity for the Australian public to enjoy the treasures from our Natural History Museum as we look forward to the launch of the Australia-UK Season of Culture.’
The Natural History Museum has been touring ground-breaking exhibitions since 1990. 38 million people have seen a touring exhibition from the Natural History Museum in the last fifteen years. The Museum tours an array of exhibitions including the popular and prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the immersive Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep and the crowd-pleasing T. Rex: The Killer Question. Fantastic Beasts™: The Wonder of Nature is the latest addition to the Museum’s touring portfolio.
Notes to Editors:
The Natural History Museum in London has reopened to the public from 10.00-18.00 daily. It is essential visitors book a free timed ticket in advance online at nhm.ac.uk.
Media contact: Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654 / +44 (0)7799 690151/ Email: press@nhm.ac.uk
About the Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world.
It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet.
The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources.
The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year, our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 38 million people in the last 15 years.