• A comme Alea, dé de voyance, XXe siecle © Mnhn, Mucem
    A comme Alea, dé de voyance, XXe siecle © Mnhn, Mucem
  • Le Hasard de A à Z © François Deladerrière, Mucem
    Le Hasard de A à Z © François Deladerrière, Mucem
  • L comme Loterie, affiche 1949 © Mucem
    L comme Loterie, affiche 1949 © Mucem
  • Le Hasard de A à Z © François Deladerrière, Mucem
    Le Hasard de A à Z © François Deladerrière, Mucem
  • J comme Jeux de hasard, 1870 © Mucem
    J comme Jeux de hasard, 1870 © Mucem
  • Q comme Qu'adviendra t-il, Jeu divinatoire, XXe siecle © Mucem
    Q comme Qu'adviendra t-il, Jeu divinatoire, XXe siecle © Mucem

Chance from A-Z

Dice and destinies
Mucem, fort Saint-Jean— Salle des collections
| From Friday 18 October 2019 to Sunday 1 March 2020

  • An abecedary of the collections

A for "aléa" (risks), B for "boule de cristal" (crystal ball), C for "chance", D for "destiny" ... The exhibition "Chance from A-Z" presents multiple representations of the concept chance via 26 letters in an unpredictable and unexpected abecedary made up of objects from the collections of the Mucem. 

How up till now have the civilisations of Europe and the Mediterranean understood the concept of chance? What objects did they imagine would bring about the fair hand of Fate? Amulets, dice, hands of Fatma, horseshoes, horoscopes, ... The Mucem has drawn from its reserves the most amazing of testimonies about how mankind has sought to predict and thwart the wheels of Chance and Fortune.

From the black cat and evil eye to the lucky star and Baraka, this exhibition offers a playful visit of the Mucem collections and takes place concurrently with the exhibition "Par hasard" (By chance), presented at the Centre de la Vieille Charité and at the Friche la Belle de Mai.

—Curation: Caroline Chenu, research and collections coordinator at the Mucem
—Scenography: Géraldine Fohr