Famous Female Nude Statue Now on Display
Monday, 1 June 2009
In early April, the Michael C. Carlos Museum opened its doors to a fascinating statue of Aphrodite, believed to be one of the most widely reproduced statues in antiquity. This particular statue is held to represent a significant and important time in art history. The statue at the Michael C. Carlos Museum dates back to the 1st century B.C. and is part of a nudity revolution in ancient Western culture where the female nude, whether divine or not, was becoming much more commonplace in artwork. In a sense, it is an example of the female nude being depicted in an open manner.
In addition to its significance in art history, the statue has an interesting history of its own. When the Michael C. Carlos Museum acquired it in mid 2006, it was without a head or right arm. In fact, the last document of the head being attached to the body was in 1836. The head was likely separated from the body during its transit to New York sometime after the Second World War where the two pieces were mistakenly believed to not have been a part of one another. In 2006, the connection was made by an observant Sotheby’s employee and the owner of the head was contacted. The owner of the head agreed to sell the head to whoever purchased the body. Once the Carlos Museum had both pieces in its possession, an extensive restoration was undertaken to reattach the head. The 4 foot 6 inch statue is now on display at the Carlos Museum at Emory University and can be seen at the following url <http://carlos.emory.edu/venus>.
The Michael C. Carlos Museum is administered by Emory University. To learn more about the museum and its exhibits, visit its website at http://www.carlos.emory.edu/.
Image
http://carlos.emory.edu/venus
Sources:
http://antiquesandthearts.com/AW-2006-06-20-11-04-36p1.htm
http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=27035
http://www.emorywheel.com/detail.php?n=27064
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13307223/