Return of the Gods

World Museum Liverpool
★★★★★

World Museum Liverpool’s latest temporary exhibition is a family-friendly exploration into the earliest superhero tales; the mythology of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome.

Displaying the extensive collection of 18th Century antiquarian Henry Blundell of Sefton, statues over 2 metres tall have been combined with over 100 sculptures and objects to show how everyday life was influenced by mythology. This is the first time so much of Henry Blundell’s collection has been displayed in one exhibition.

Zeus at the start of the exhibition. - *Image Credit: Here For This*

Upon entering the temporary exhibition space, a huge sculpture of Zeus welcomes visitors. Beautifully lit, and positioned to allow a full 360 view of the intricate details of the piece, this sets the tone for what is a fascinating and well constructed exhibition. Many of the larger statues have been brilliantly set against a comic book style backdrop that not only makes the pieces pop, but cannot fail to grab your attention.

Each of the pieces is accompanied by an information board which are easy to read and not over-powering in terms of the detail. One of the first boards was a family tree of the gods and goddesses which was extremely useful given the complicated familial hierarchy.

The comic book styling of the statues within the exhibition. - *Image Credit: Here For This*

Access to the exhibition is via timed entry which meant there was never too many people trying to flow through the exhibition at the same time. We never felt rushed to move on, as even though the entry is timed there is no restrictions on how long you can spend in the space. Everything can be taken at your own pace.

The exhibition does have an additional charge, but was very well priced at only £8 per adult ticket. For the quality of the exhibition we feel that this is an extremely fair price, possibly even too low. Members of the World Museum are able to access free of charge but are required to pre-book their tickets. If you aren’t a member but join on the day after purchasing a ticket to the exhibition there is a discount applied to the yearly membership (essentially giving the cost of the exhibition access back).

Statue of Apollo with the associated information boards. - *Image Credit: Here For This*

The exhibition is on until 25 February 2024, so there is plenty of time to check out this fantastic display of the ancient gods and goddess, and the impacts these superheroes had on everyday life.

If you want to see a video of the exhibition, our YouTube channel has a highlights video and review.

Originally posted: May 3, 2023