2 August – 9 November 2014
The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece is a visually stunning and thought-provoking exploration of the human condition seen through ancient Greek eyes; with a particular focus on the human form. For over 2,000 years the Greeks experimented with representing the human body in works that range from prehistoric abstract simplicity to the full-blown realism of the age of Alexander the Great.
The ancient Greeks invented the modern idea of the human body in art as an object of sensory delight and as an expression of the intelligent mind. Greek craftsmen gave form to thought in a rich harvest of artworks through which the human condition was explored and interpreted. By exploring this idea of representation, the exhibition invites visitors to engage with artworks that have shaped the way we think about ourselves.
Selected from the British Museum’s world-famous Greek and Roman collection, this major international touring exhibition will give audiences the rare opportunity to see over 100 historical works including the impressive Discobolus; an iconic marble statue of a discus thrower from the second century AD.
The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece is presented by the British Museum in collaboration with Bendigo Art Gallery and is the third exclusive exhibition in the Bendigo International Collection series to be staged at Bendigo Art Gallery in August 2014. Currently touring venues in Europe, Asia and the Americas, Bendigo Art Gallery is pleased to be the first Australian venue to host The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece.
Curator
Dr Ian Jenkins is responsible for the ancient Greek collection in the British Museum and is a world authority on Greek architecture, sculpture and ancient Greek social history. He worked on The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece with assistant curator Victoria Turner, with whom he recently published The Greek Body (British Museum Press, 2009).
