Associate Professor of Greek and Near Eastern Art History and Archaeology at the University of Texas, Austin, Nassos Papalexandrou will speak on the role of Mediterranean ceramic works on view in the Menil Collection’s Ancient World Gallery. Dating in the first millennium BCE, these objects offer an intimate look into the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean and the history of collecting. The talk will address the role of ceramics in life and death and it will focus on the multisensory functions of Athenian painted vases in the symposion (all male wine-drinking party) as well as in death rituals, and in the lucrative exporting business from Athens to Italy for a period that lasted for more than two hundred years.
This special gallery talk is an extension of the Menil’s Curator Talks series, which offer in-depth discussions about a single work of art, or group of works, on view in the museum’s galleries. These programs are free and open to the public. Further information regarding accessibility and parking can be found here.
