VATICAN CITY The Vatican on Saturday returned 62 artifacts to Indigenous peoples from Canada, a historic restitution that is part of the Catholic Church's reckoning with its role in helping suppress Indigenous culture in the Americas. Pope Leo XIV gave the artifacts, including an iconic Inuit kayak, and supporting documentation to a delegation of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is expected to return them to individual Indigenous communities.
She is an enduring global symbol of beauty, power and mystery who has fascinated Hitler, Beyonce and Arab Spring activists alike: Queen Nefertiti, whose name translates to "the beautiful one has come," is one of the most iconic figures of the ancient world. The Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten who radically transformed Egyptian religion by promoting the worship of the single sun god, Aten ruled more than 3,300 years ago.
Set to be unveiled next March, the new Gilbert Galleries have been designed by the London-based Citizens Design Bureau practice. The number of galleries will increase from four to seven and will occupy adjacent former offices overlooking both the John Madejski Garden and Exhibition Road, as part of the V&A's Future Plan development programme. Project funders include the Gilbert Trust for the Arts and The National Lottery Heritage Fund.