Assyrian King Ashurbanipal Exhibition Opens at CaixaForum Madrid, Exploring Power and Knowledge
CaixaForum Madrid has launched the exhibition "I am Ashurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyria," marking its first showing in Spain after its 2018-2019 run at the British Museum. This exhibition, organized by the British Museum in collaboration with the "la Caixa" Foundation, showcases more than 150 artifacts from the Assyrian Empire's final period, which fell in the late 7th century BCE. It highlights Ashurbanipal, a king known for his literacy and military prowess, who created the first extensive library in Nineveh. Notable pieces include a relief depicting a lion hunt and stelae of both Ashurbanipal and his brother Shamash-shum-ukin. The exhibition is scheduled from April 9 to October 4, 2026, before moving to other CaixaForum locations.
Key facts
- Exhibition "I am Ashurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyria" opened at CaixaForum Madrid
- Collaboration between "la Caixa" Foundation and the British Museum
- Features over 150 objects from British Museum collections
- Explores Assyrian Empire from late 7th century BCE
- Ashurbanipal established first comprehensive library at Nineveh with 10,000 cuneiform tablets
- Includes relief of Ashurbanipal killing a lion in ritual ceremony
- Exhibition adapted from 2018-2019 British Museum presentation
- Runs from April 9 to October 4, 2026
Entities
Artists
- Ashurbanipal
- Sardanapalus
- Eugène Delacroix
- Sennacherib
- Shamash-shum-ukin
- Sébastien Rey
- Ituni
- Gilgamesh
Institutions
- "la Caixa" Foundation
- British Museum
- CaixaForum Madrid
- The Trustees of the British Museum
Locations
- Madrid
- Spain
- Nineveh
- Iraq
- Mosul
- Babylon
- Egypt
- Iran
- Nimrud
- Babilonia
- Mediterranean
- Chipre