Why has gold blinded so many cultures throughout history?

From ancient Egyptian jewelry to contemporary fashion, gold has been associated with opulence and wealth for thousands of years. A new exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum explores why this particular metal has fascinated so many cultures throughout history and how its meaning has changed over time. Titled “Solid gold,” the show explores the ubiquitous appeal of gold through art, fashion, film, music and design.

“’Solid Gold’ will take visitors through the many worlds of gold, its joyful, yet sometimes heartbreaking history,” says Matthew Yokoboskythe show’s senior curator, in a statement. “As a museum dedicated to bringing art and people together in shared experiences, audiences will find inspiration and open them to unexplored areas of beauty in their world.”

The show opens with a video of NASA’s 2018 launch Parker solar probethe first spacecraft to fly into the sun’s upper atmosphere. These images “set the tone for an extended, trippy show dedicated to the precious metal that the Incas poetically called ‘the tears of the sun,’ as Artnet‘ writes Raquel Laneri.

The extensive display, featuring objects from around the world, is part of the museum’s 200th anniversary celebrations. About half of the 500 items in the exhibition come from the Brooklyn Museum’s collections, including historic coins, Greek jewelry, Japanese screens, and Renaissance altarpieces.

“I based the checklist for the exhibition on our impressive permanent collection,” says Yokobosky Fashion‘s Christian Allaire. “If we look at our holdings, we see that almost 4,000 works are made of gold or have a golden aspect and span thousands of years, from antiquity to today.”

The opening galleries of the exhibition display an impressive array of artefacts that demonstrate the ancient world’s interest in gold, such as a sarcophagus from the period between 945 and 740 BC, decorated with gold pigments intended to imitate gold inlays mimic.

The exhibition’s ancient artifacts are contrasted with contemporary artworks, films and designs. For example, pieces of gold facial jewelry made in Panama around the first millennium AD are shown alongside examples of grids made in recent decades.

Like the New York TimesAruna D’Souza writes: “This is ultimately a show about fashion.”

“Highlights include beautiful couture dresses by the Blonds, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Cardin, Hubert de Givenchy, Marc Bohan, Azzedine Alaïa and John Galliano when he was at the helm of Christian Dior,” writes Fashion. Other items on display include a prototype necklace made for Elizabeth Taylor to wear in the movie Cleopatra (1963) and a variety of Cartier jewelry.

Museum visitors will also learn about the origins of gold, as well as the consequences associated with its production. Through works of art and artifacts, part of the exhibition tells “a global story of ecological transformation, environmental impact and human consequences resulting from the search for this precious metal,” the statement said. Nearby, an exhibition of gold coins explores how currency was used to spread propaganda images of powerful rulers.

In addition to the cultural appeal of gold, the exhibition also highlights the sustainable nature of the material itself. If it survives, gold offers researchers and archaeologists a glimpse into the lives of cultures throughout history.

“Although it does not corrode or tarnish and can therefore last a very long time, in ancient times gold was often reused – melted and cast into new shapes,” writes the Times. “If it lasts, it feels a bit miraculous.”

“Solid gold‘ is on view at the Brooklyn Museum until July 6, 2025.