The Persistence of Myth

Curated by Heather Read, PhD student in the department of Art History and Archaeology, and Elizabeth Wolfson, MA student in the department of Art History and Archaeology (with Karen K. Butler).Greek mythology is a defining aspect of Western culture, enduring well beyond its original relevance because of the malleability of its themes. For the Greeks, mythology embodied the faults and strengths of human nature and its narratives clothed the fears, beliefs, and moral codes of their society. In the… Show more modern and contemporary period, mythology allows artists to speak allegorically about contemporary issues such as race or class, to comment indirectly on the horrors of war, or to simply explore formal concerns.This Teaching Gallery exhibition brings together objects from ancient Greece and works by modern and contemporary artists in order to explore the persistence of Greek mythology in modern art.Presented by Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum - Washington University in St. Louis

Show less