Sarah Kielt Costello, associate professor of Art History at the University of Houston–Clear Lake, joins the Menil’s Curatorial Associate, Danielle Smotherman Bennett, for an in-depth discussion about an ancient votive figure of a standing man in the museum’s collection, currently on view. The program will illuminate the long life of this Sumerian statue, created over 4,000 years ago, including evidence for both ancient and modern repairs. Costello and Bennett also discuss how scholars approach the study of such objects today.
This program is organized in conjunction with the 2021 Menil Collection publication Object Biographies: Collaborative Approaches to Ancient Mediterranean Art. This innovative anthology discusses a variety of ancient Mediterranean objects in the Menil Collection and three other US institutions, including a chapter by Costello on this votive figure. It offers new models for understanding works from antiquity that lack archaeological context. For further information and to purchase a copy, please visit the Menil Bookstore.