Upcoming Exhibitions

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love

September 15, 2012—February 17, 2013

Cowden Gallery

Known today as the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, or Venus to the Romans, was one of the most powerful Greek divinities and a favorite subject in ancient art. This groundbreaking exhibition reveals this most popular ancient goddess in her roles as instigator of sexual desire, patroness of brides, seafarers and warriors, agent of political harmony, adulterous seductress, and mother to mischievous Eros. The exhibition features 125 statues, vases, terracotta and bronze figures, mirrors and jewelry from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's world-renowned Greek and Roman collection together with seven breathtaking works from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples. Aphrodite and the Gods of Love will be the first special exhibition focused on the art and culture of ancient Greece in the San Antonio Museum of Art's history. This exhibition was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
 
Aphrodite and the Gods of Love was organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

In San Antonio, this exhibition is generously funded in part by the Ewing Halsell Foundation.

Additional contributions have been made by the Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992, the William and Salomé Scanlan Foundation, the Marcia and Otto Koehler Charitable Trust, the Peggy Pitman Mays Exhibition Fund, the Sue E. Denman Memorial Fund, Louis J. Lamm, Jr., and Kris M. Smith, and the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation. 

A cell phone tour of Aphrodite and Gods of Love is available for this exhibition at (210)280-8443.
Special thanks to Elizabeth Card, cell phone tour narrator. Adapted from the Getty's Aphrodite and Gods of Love audio tour, produced by the J. Paul Getty Museum. 

Head of Aphrodite (the “Bartlett Head”) Greek, made in Athens Late Classical period, about 330  BC Marble Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Francis Bartlett Donation of 1900, 03.743		Statuette of Aphrodite Greek or Roman Late Hellenistic period or Roman Imperial period Silver with gold leaf Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Henry Lillie Pierce Fund, 01.8187
Statuette of Eros Wearing the Lionskin of Herakles  East Greek Hellenistic period, late 1st century BC Terracotta with traces of pigment  Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Henry Lillie Pierce Fund, 00.321