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The Human Figure in Early Greek Art

January 31 – June 12, 1988
East Building, Concourse (8,000 sq. ft.)

Installation view of The Human Figure in Early Greek Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Gallery Archives

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: 67 marble sculptures, bronzes, painted vases, and terracotta figures from the Geometric period to the Early Classical period (10th to 5th century B.C.) were lent by 4 museums in Athens and a number of Greek regional museums. A group of models illustrating the history of the Acropolis in Athens was shown at the entrance to the exhibition. Melina Mercouri, Minister of Culture of Greece, opened the exhibition.

Organization: Diana Buitron-Oliver was guest curator. The exhibition was coordinated by D. Dodge Thompson. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition, and Gordon Anson designed the lighting for the National Gallery.

Sponsor: Organized by the Greek Ministry of Culture and the National Gallery, the exhibition was supported in part by the Paradina Inc. Trust, Joannou and Paraskevaides (Overseas) Ltd., and Atlantic Bank of New York, and by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Olympic Airways provided transportation.

Film: Light of the Gods, produced by the National Gallery of Art.

Attendance: 259,318

Catalog: The Human Figure in Early Greek Art, by Diana Buitron-Oliver et al. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art; Athens: Greek Ministry of Culture, 1988.

Other Venues: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri, July 16–October 2, 1988
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, November 13, 1988–January 15, 1989
Art Institute of Chicago, February 18–May 7, 1989
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, June 7–September 3, 1989