Thousands of Chinese citizens flocked to the National Museum of China to admire the ancient Greek artifacts that arrived in China for the first time.
Ancient Greek culture traveled to distant Beijing with its incomparable beauty and values through an exhibition entitled “The Countless Aspects of Beauty.”
Ancient Greek artifact exhibition overview and significance
The National Archaeological Museum organized the exhibition which consists of 279 works. The exhibits give visitors the opportunity to further get to know ancient Greek culture.
Displaying such a quantity of artifacts seals the strong cultural relations that the two countries have achieved in recent years. The exhibition highlights the aesthetic expression of humanity in diverse social and cultural environments. It starts from the Neolithic period and goes into Late Antiquity.
Thematic structure of the exhibition
Ancient works, combined with modern digital media, offer the Chinese audience a journey through time into ancient Greek civilization. With the theme of the beautiful, it focuses on human creation. At the same time, it simultaneously explores the spiritual basis of technical and aesthetic choices throughout time.
The exhibition narrative is divided into four parts. In “Eternal Aesthetics,” they present everyday objects, recording the different expressions of aesthetics throughout human history.
“The Beautiful and the Desirable” attempts to approach the aesthetic preferences of ancient societies. Additionally, these preferences are revealed through archaeological finds concerning clothing, headdresses, jewelry, and beautification. They also reveal themselves in ancient Greek myths about beauty.
Meanwhile, the third part is entitled “Showing the Body.” It refers to the expression of beauty in the visual representation of the human body. The collection starts from the Neolithic period and extends into historical times.
A platform for cultural dialogue
Lastly, in the “Endless Search,” the visitor is invited to reflect on the importance of beauty and its value to humanity.
The Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, together with Sun Yeli, Minister of Culture and Tourism of China, inaugurated the exhibition “The Countless Aspects of Beauty” at the National Museum of Beijing in China.
Lina Mendoni pointed out in her speech:
“This unique exhibition traces the ancient Greek search and pursuit of beauty from the Neolithic period to late antiquity. The exhibition encourages cross-cultural dialogue. It also provides a unique platform for East and West to explore a timeless theme. It inspires connections that transcend place and time.”
She also noted that the exhibition “provides an opportunity to reflect on the countless facets of beauty that shape our understanding of art, culture, and humanity.”
