In the ivory tower? A controversial material in a museum context

The Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna houses one of the most important collections of ivory artefacts, particularly from the Baroque period, in its Kunstkammer. In view of the current dramatic threat to the elephant population in Africa due to illegal hunting and the flourishing black market for ivory, there have recently been increasing calls to stop not only the trade in ivory artefacts, but also their presentation in museums. Most recently, the highly acclaimed exhibition Schrecklich schön. Elephant-Human-Ivory at the newly opened Humboldt Forum in Berlin raised this controversial question. Alberto Saviello, one of the curators of the exhibition, and Konrad Schlegel, curator of ivory sculpture at the Kunstkammer Wien, will discuss this sensitive topic. The panel discussion will be moderated by General Director Sabine Haag.