Athens--Sparta Antiquities Exhibition at the Onassis Cultural Center in New York

In collaboration with the National Archaeological Museum of Greece

December 6, 2006--May 12, 2007

Presenting 288 exquisite artifacts, the exhibition "Athens--Sparta," curated by  Dr. Nikos Kaltsas, Director of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, explores the history and cultural achievements of the two most important city-states in the ancient Greek world, from their formation in the eighth century B.C. to the height of their power during the Classical period of the fifth century.



Warrior Figurine, Bronze, 540-520 B.C. Laconian
workshop. From Longa, Messenia, sanctuary of Apollo
Korythos. National Archaeological Museum, nv. no 14789
(left);
Kore Statuette. Pentelic marble, ca. 500 B.C. Attic
workshop. From the Acropolis of Athens, excavation east
of the Parsthenon, 1882. Acropolis Museum, inv. nos.
676 and 527 (right).
Among these ancient works of art--many of which will travel abroad for the first-time--are such treasures as the fifth-century B.C. marble bust of the helmeted Spartan warrior known as Leonidas, a fifth-century B.C. marble Athenian kore from the Acropolis Museum; bronze figures of hoplites form Sparta from the eighth to the sixth centuries B.C., arrowheads and spear heads from the famous battlefield of Thermopylae; and a black-figure Laconian kylix from the sixth century B.C. from the Vatican Museums. By presenting a significant number of Laconian artifacts alongside corresponding Attic objects from the same period, "Athens--Sparta" will shed light on the lesser-known accomplishments of Sparta artists and will give viewers an opportunity to discover the depth and complexity of Laconic art, usually overshadowed by the cultural magnificence of Athens.

"Athens--Sparta" brings together objects form the National Archaeological Museum, the Acropolis Museum, the Epigraphical Museum, the Kerameikos Museum, the Numismatic Museum, and the Third Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities in Athens; from the archaeological museums of Sparta, Marathon, Olympia, and Rhodes; and from the Vatican Museums, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, the Museums of Fine Arts in Boston, and the American Numismatic Society in New York.

"Athens--Sparta" is accompanied by an exhibition catalogue featuring essays by Dr. Nikos Kaltsas, Director, National Archaeological Museum, Athens; Dr. Donald Kagan, Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale University; Dr. Paul Cartledge, Professor Greek History at the University of Cambridge; Dr. Ismini Trianti, Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Ioannina; Dr. Yannis Touratsoglou, Director Emeritus of the Numismatic Museum and the National Archaeological Museum in Athens; and other eminent historians and archaeologists.

Exhibition Hours: Monday--Saturday, 10:00am--6:00pm

Admission: Free

Location: Onassis Cultural Center, Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Ave., New York, NY.



(Posting date 1 October 2006
)

Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation
The mission of the Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation (USA) is to disseminate Hellenic civilization throughout the United States and Canada. By cooperating with universities, colleges and art institutions in Greece, in the United States and Canada, the Onassis Foundation (USA) promotes bilateral cultural relations.

Onassis Cultural Center
In carrying out the missio f the ONassis Foundation (USA), the Onassis Cultural Center, opened in Fall 2000, is the venue for presenting cultural and artistic activities concerning ancient, Byzantine and modern Hellenic civilization. Invited participants may be Greeks and non-Greeks inspired by Hellenism. Activities include art exhibitions, theatrical and dance performances, musical events, lectures and poetry readings and film screenings. Following their presentation at the Onassis Cultural Center, these activities may tour other cultural and art institutions int he United States and Canada.

University Seminars Program
The Onassis Foundation (USA) finances a University Seminars Program intended to increase awareness and interest in Grek civilization. Within the framework of the Program, eminent visiting professor sna scholars, from abroad and the United States, give seminars and lectures on subjects related to Hellenic civilization at university campuses throughout the United States, Canada, and Central and South America.

Contact the Onassis Cultural Center: Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue (entrances on 51st or 52nd Streets, between Fifth and Madison Avenues), New York, NY 10022. Tel.: 212-486-4448. Fax: 212-486-4744. Web http://www.onassisusa.org. Email infoOCC@onassisusa.org.

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