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| Angelos' Greek gift: Orioles owner's donation makes heroes exhibition free to public |
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| By Brandon Oland, Times Staff Writer |
Friday, October 09, 2009 |
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE WALTERS ART MUSEUM
“Helen and Menelaos at the Sack of Troy/Youth Departing” is part of the new free exhibit “Heroes: Mortal and Myths in Ancient Greece,” on display Sunday through Jan. 3 at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.
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BALTIMORE — In January, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos signed Nick Markakis to a contract worth $56 million, ensuring right field would be manned by a player with Greek heritage for the next six years.
It would not be the last time Angelos signed a check for a Greek endeavor this year.
The new exhibit, “Heroes: Mortal and Myths in Ancient Greece,” is free to the public thanks to a donation from Angelos. The exhibit will be open Sunday and run through Jan. 3 at The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore.
Ordinarily, when traveling exhibits arrive at the museums’ first-floor gallery, visitors must pay to see them in order to offset the costs of securing and shipping art from other museums. The Walters’ permanent collection is free to view.
In this case, Walters director Gary Vikan said Angelos was more than willing to donate an unspecified sum to make sure Baltimoreans could see an exhibit depicting just how vital heroes were to ancient Greek cultures.
The exhibit features more than 100 pieces on loan from European and North American museums. Centuries-old vases and lifelike busts dominate the three rooms.
Most of the works depict Greek heroes or their enemies in battle. One bust near the exhibit’s entrance features a young, beardless Hercules wearing a lion’s skin. Visitors also find themselves staring at a lone eye in a bust of Polyphemus, the dreaded Cyclops encountered by Odysseus in his travels. The story is one of many worshiped by ancient Greek cultures.
“What you will become aware of is the cult of heroes,” said Vikan, during an exhibit preview Tuesday.
Greek heroes were idolized by everyone in a community, Walters curator of ancient art Regine Schulz said. She said Greeks believed heroes were mortals who were able to transcend death. All were believed to have supernatural powers.
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“Heroes had one main function,” she said. “And that function was to build the community. … It helped the people to understand that they had to stick together because they had one hero.”
The exhibit is broken into three sections. “Heroes in Myth” presents the life cycles of Achilles, Odysseus, Helen and Hercules. “Heroes in Cult” is devoted to the worship of heroes, which includes photo murals depicting the ruins of hero worship sites in Greece.
“Hero as Role Model” reveals how much warriors and athletes were admired by ordinary Greeks. Visitors can post a statement introducing heroes in their lives that will be posted on the gallery walls.
Schulz said one of the exhibit’s most brilliant works doesn’t feature one of Greek’s most famous heroes. “Hero with a Sunken Ship” is a grave monument from about 4 B.C. dedicated to Demokleides, who might have suffered a heroic death in a naval battle. The monument shows Demokleides on the ground near a sunken ship, holding his head in a gesture of grief or despair.
The piece is on loan from National Archaeological Museum in Athens. Schulz said she couldn’t believe The Walters could acquire such a treasure for the traveling exhibit, which will be headed to Nashville, Tenn., San Diego and New York after it departs Baltimore in January.
For the next three months, Walters visitors can be reminded of the characters they learned about in ancient world history classes and discover how the tales of heroes like Odysseus and Achilles transformed an entire culture.
Said Schulz: “I think [the exhibit] helps us rethink our ideas about heroes.”
Reach staff writer Brandon Oland at 410-857-7682 or brandon.oland@carrollcountytimes.com
Other new exhibits
Several new exhibits are being unveiled at museums throughout Baltimore in the fall. Here’s a look at some of them for those planning visits into the city:
‘Da Vinci: The Genius, An Inspirational Exhibition’
Synopsis: This exhibit features more than 100 objects from U.S. and European museums that show how humans have worshiped heroes over time.
When: Exhibit runs Sunday through Jan. 3. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Where: The Walters Art Museum, 600 N.?Charles St., Baltimore
Admission: Free
Information: 410-547-9000 or www.thewalters.org
‘Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece’
Synopsis: Heroes play a vital role in most cultures. This exhibit features more than 100 objects from U.S. and European museums that show how humans have worshiped heroes over time.
When: Exhibit runs Sunday through Jan. 3. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays.
Where: Maryland Science Center, 601 Light St., Baltimore
Admission: Free
Information: 410-547-9000 or www.thewalters.org
‘Edgar Allan Poe: A Baltimore Icon’
Synopsis: The Baltimore Museum of Art presents an exhibition of 80 prints, drawings and illustrated books of famous admirers of Poe’s chilling tales.
When: Exhibit runs through Jan. 17. Gallery hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 11 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
Where: Baltimore Museum of Art, off Museum Drive, Baltimore
Admission: Free
Information: 410-685-5225 or www.mdsci.org
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