
- Was there art 1.5 million years ago?
- When did humans feel the need to depict figures on stone?
- Can a stone tool be worked upon to be also a beautiful object?
Answers to these questions are provided by the exhibition entitled “The Origins of Sculpture.” Archaeological finds from the Old World and Lesbos 2.5 million to 50,000 years Before Present”.
The exhibition includes stone tools and “figure stones” depicting birds, faces, and bodies, which are being presented for the first time in Europe and Greece. Following the success of the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, USA, the exhibition in Athens has been enriched with twice as many exhibits from 13 countries in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The exhibition introduces an unknown aspect of human heritage, and it is the first largescale exhibition dedicated to the Palaeolithic archaeology ever to be organised in Greece.
The curators of the exhibition, Nena Galanidou, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Crete, and Thomas Wynn, Professor of Cognitive Archaeology at the University of Colorado, invite us on a fascinating journey of knowledge of human history before the emergence of our species, Homo sapiens. They put forward the idea that the aesthetic quest appears much earlier in the history of culture than previously believed.

At the same time, they offer evidence for the importance of the Aegean as a gateway for the first inhabitants of Europe. The exhibition is also addressed to children 9-10 years of age and above, and is complemented by educational programmes and lectures.
For detailed information please follow the link:
https://www.benaki.org/index.php?option=com_events&view=event&type=&id=1016293&Itemid=559&lang=en
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THE ORIGINS OF SCULPTURE, this thought-provoking exhibition is at the Benaki Museum – 1, Koumbari street, Athens. From 27 September 2023 to 7 January 2024; an exhibition not to be missed!
With thanks to Evangelos El. Angelakos’ Newsletter of ANGELAKOS (HELLAS) SA