The MAEC – Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona presents the exhibition
“The Etruscans in the Netherlands. 40 years after the Etruscan Project”, celebrating the historic
bond between Cortona and the city of Leiden, under the sign of Etruscan culture and
international collaboration.

Promoted by the Municipality of Cortona and the Accademia Etrusca, in collaboration with
the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden, the exhibition marks a new chapter in the
enhancement of archaeological heritage and recalls the Year of the Etruscans (1985) — a
milestone in the cultural history of Tuscany and Italy, when archaeology evolved from being
knowledge for the few into a shared public heritage.

Through five sections, the exhibition retraces the evolution of archaeological thought and
collecting from the eighteenth century to the present day. It opens with the Etruscan Project
(1985), then explores the growing interest in archaeology (1727–1826) with the foundation
of the Accademia Etrusca and the rediscovery of ancient origins. The third section takes
visitors to the Netherlands, tracing the journey of the Cortona artefacts to the Rijksmuseum
van Oudheden in Leiden and illustrating the broader history of European collecting. The
fourth part focuses on the valorisation of national heritage through the major
archaeological discoveries of the Cortona area and recent international collaborations,
while the final section examines the influence of the Etruscans on contemporary art,
featuring works such as Janus by Gino Severini and the Ginori Statuettes Collection – Etruscan
Project 1985.

At the heart of the exhibition is the temporary return of significant Etruscan artefacts from
the Corazzi Collection, on loan from the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden in Leiden. Their
symbolic homecoming to Cortona — the place of their origin — represents both an act of
memory and a renewed form of cultural cooperation between Italy and the Netherlands.
As in 1985, this exhibition aims to foster participation, dialogue and shared awareness of
the enduring value of historical and artistic heritage. The initiative also anticipates the
forthcoming celebrations for the 300th anniversary of the Accademia Etrusca of Cortona
(1727–2027).