In the late 1890s, while writing The Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud became an art collector, developing an obsession with antiquity, beauty, myth and archaeology that led him to amass a brilliant private museum of over two thousand statues, vases, reliefs, busts, fragments of papyrus, rings, precious stones and prints. Bringing both his passions together, Freud stated: ‘The psychoanalyst, like the archaeologist, must uncover layer after layer of the patient's psyche, before coming to the deepest, most valuable treasures.’ This exhibition was developed by MUMA in association with The Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney. It marked the first time Freud's antiquities could be seen in Australia—shown at Monash University Museum of Art (September–November 2007) and University of Sydney’s Nicholson Museum (January–March 2008).

Sigmund Freud’s Collection: An Archaeology of the Mind brought together objects from Freud’s personal collection of antiquities held in the Freud Museum, London. The works—which were presented alongside related film and photographic material, including Anna Freud’s home movies—offered a unique insight into Freud as collector, thinker and art connoisseur, and revealed how Freud’s study of art and antiquities influenced his theories of psychoanalysis.

Curated by Dr Janine Burke, the exhibition followed the publication of The Gods of Freud: Sigmund Freud’s Art Collection, the author’s book-length study of the Freud Collection and its role in Freud’s life and work. It positioned antiquities and myth in relation to contemporary discourses around psychoanalytic theory, and explored the resonance of these forms in contemporary cultural life. Dr Burke selected eighteen major works that not only provide an overview of Freud's collection but also offer insights into his revolutionary theories about sexuality and civilisation.

Public Programs:
Free Associations: Freud's relevance to contemporary art and culture
Thursday 1 November

Friends of Monash Gallery of Art, Morning Coffee and Curatorial talk, Sigmund Freud's Collection: An Archaeology of the Mind
Thursday 8 November

PGAV Get into Art! Open Day at MUMA
Sunday 28 October

^{Image: Sigmund Freud’s Collection: an Archaeology of the Mind catalogue cover}