MARSEILLE.- From the Moon to the Evening Star, from the Big Dipper constellation to Saturn’s rings, the celestial vault and the stars that inhabit it have long been the object of deep fascination. The exhibition « Lire le ciel » explores the perception of the night sky in the Mediterranean, as seen from Earth. From the earliest recordings of the ancient Mesopotamian sky to the contemporary vogue for astrology, via medieval Arabo-Muslim astronomy and the Galilean revolution, societies around the Mediterranean basin have turned to the stars to find their place in the cosmos and to organize life on Earth. Knowledge and beliefs have circulated across the shores, creating a shared sky culture that continues to inform our contemporary relationship with the heavens.

Through this dialogue between art and science, the exhibition invites us to reflect on our present connection to the starry sky. Since Antiquity, observing the regularity of celestial bodies has helped structure daily life—for example, aiding navigation or creating calendars. Celestial phenomena have also been interpreted as signs influencing daily life: phases of the Moon, the passage of comets, the movements of planets across constellations, and so on. This relationship between the macrocosm and the microcosm played a role in state governance and in the study of individual behavior, as astronomy and astrology long developed in parallel.

While modern astronomy has contributed to challenging many of these beliefs, popular culture continues to weave a personal and intimate connection with the stars, viewing the sky as a canvas for projecting profound inner questions. Today, even as the stars fade under the light pollution of cities, we still search the sky for constellations, contemplate the beauty of the starry night, and use it to reflect on our relationship with the environment.

« Lire le ciel » presents exceptional artworks and everyday objects that bear witness to this history, displayed alongside contemporary pieces that respond to them. In a transdisciplinary approach dear to the Mucem, the exhibition brings together archaeological, scientific, and ethnographic objects with artworks, manuscripts, and oral heritage. It features over one hundred works from the Mucem collections and benefits from more than two hundred loans from national, regional, and international collections.

Lending institutions
National and regional museums, private collection

Musée du Louvre, Bibliothèque nationale de France, musée d’Orsay, musée national de la Marine, musée d’Art et d’Histoire du judaïsme, musée de l’Institut du monde arabe, Institut de France, musée Jacquemart-André, Cinémathèque de Paris, Observatoire de Paris, musée national de la Renaissance–château d’Écouen, bibliothèque des Annonciades de Boulogne-sur-Mer, musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, Bibliothèque nationale et universitaire de Strasbourg, musée des Beaux-Arts de Chambéry, musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims, musées de Marseille, laboratoire d’astrophysique de Marseille, archives départementales de Marseille, archives municipales, cabinet des Monnaies et Médailles de Marseille, observatoire de Marseille, Institut Pythéas, observatoire de Haute-Provence, musée du Petit-Palais d’Avignon, bibliothèque-musée Inguimbertine de Carpentras, musée des Augustins de Toulouse, musée des Arts précieux Paul Dupuy de Toulouse, observatoire de la Côte d’Azur de Nice, collection Alexis et Nicolas Kugel.

International museums

Musée Galilée de Florence, Archives d’État de Sienne, Musée archéologique national de Naples, musée Benaki d’Athènes.