National Museum exhibition explores art, culture of Greco-Roman world

Arts & Design

Published: 15 Jun. 2023, 13:28

National Museum exhibition explores art, culture of Greco-Roman world

The statue of Bacchus, the god of wine and fertility, is displayed at the National Museum of Korea's new exhibition “Separate But Inseparable: Mythology and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome” in Yongsan District, central Seoul [NEWS1]

An exhibition on ancient Greek and Roman art and culture opened Thursday at the National Museum of Korea in Yongsan District, central Seoul.

"Separate But Inseparable: Mythology and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome" showcases 126 artifacts and artworks, such as the Roman portraiture of Gaius Julius Caesar.

It is jointly organized with the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, which holds extensive Greek and Roman antiquities collections.

"This exhibition is special in that it simultaneously examines ancient Greece and Rome," curator Yang Hee-chung told the press on Wednesday. "It compares and contrasts the civilizations' art and culture to ultimately show how they evolved together."

Ancient Greeks' influence on Romans, and eventually the Western world, is undeniable. Social institutions such as democracy and Roman law all took root in ancient Greece. The Greco-Roman relations mainly developed through trade, travel and Rome's conquest of Greece in the second century B.C.

"We have so much from Greek culture because the Romans appreciated it, collected it, copied it and kept it," said Georg Plattner, director of the collection of Greek and Roman antiquities/ephesos at Kunsthistorisches Museum. "And it was not only democracy and philosophy but also the arts."

Visitors view Greek pottery vessels at the National Museum of Korea's new exhibition “Separate But Inseparable: Mythology and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome” in Yongsan District, central Seoul. [NEWS1]

The exhibition is divided into three parts.

"World of Mythology" focuses on the gods and myths that Greeks believed and were later also shared with Romans. The exhibition explains that their common belief is the foundation for the Greco-Roman relationship.

The section showcases 55 works, including Greek pottery vessels, terracotta lamps decorated with images of the gods, large marble sculptures and small bronze statuettes from the Roman era.

"The Human Sphere" consists of various portraiture from the two empires, and lastly, "The Empire of Shadows" examines ancient Greeks' and Romans' conceptions of the afterlife through tombstone art.

Roman portraiture of Gaius Julius Caesar at the National Museum of Korea's new exhibition “Separate But Inseparable: Mythology and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome” in Yongsan District, central Seoul .[YONHAP]

It is the exhibition's conclusion that the sharing of cultures created such a flourishing and dynamic history and culture for both the Greeks and the Romans.

"Through mythology, portraiture and their perceptions of the afterlife, the exhibition highlights how the cultures and histories of ancient Greece and Rome became deeply intertwined — separate but inseparable — in a symbiotic relationship that benefitted both of them," Yang said.

The exhibition runs through May 30, 2027. English descriptions of the displays are available on-site.

"Separate But Inseparable: Mythology and Culture of Ancient Greece and Rome" is located at the Ancient Greece and Rome Gallery, or Room 311, in the World Arts Gallery of the National Museum of Korea.

Admission is free, and guided tours will occur three times a day, at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m., starting July 1.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]