“The countless aspects of Beauty” at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens

The beauty of Greek art, especially from the Classical and Hellenistic periods is, in my eyes, unsurpassed.

In order to celebrate its 150^th birthday, the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, put together a special exhibition to illustrate the beauty of Greek art from the Neolithic period to the late antiquity. To this purpose 340 works from the museum’s collection have been selected and are now exhibited under the common title “The countless aspects of Beauty” – a unique way to appreciate this facet of Greek art.

This special exhibition is set up in four separate sections.

“Eternal aesthetics” is the first section presenting objects of everyday life in prehistoric times, followed by “The Beautiful and the Desirable” referring to the aesthetic preferences in clothing, hairstyles and beautification. The third section “Focusing on the Body” treats the human body as represented from the Neolithic period to historic times. The exhibition concludes with a final section titled “The endless Quest” which concentrates on the significance of the beautiful and its value for humans.

Among the masterpieces, please note the Bronze head from Delos (early 1^st century BC),  the Birth of Aphrodite from Baiae (2^nd century AD), the Boy from Marathon (4^th century BC), the Diadoumenos from Delos (100 BC copy of an original from 450-425 BC) and many, many others.

This exhibition was started last month and will remain open to the public till the end of 2019 - time enough to plan your visit to Athens allowing you to include this highlight in your trip.

[Pictures from the NAM]