Past Exhibitions

	Portrait of Lucilla, 2nd half of 2nd century A.D.
Roman Art from the Louvre February 21–May 11, 2008 SAM Simonyi Special Exhibition Galleries

This extraordinary selection of ancient art from Paris's famed Musée du Louvre portrays nearly 300 years of imperial Roman life and history. The exhibition includes approximately 180 pieces—many that have never before traveled to the United States—from one of the richest collections of ancient Roman art in the world.

Visitors will meet emperors and members of the imperial court, elite and ordinary citizens, women and children, soldiers, gladiators, foreigners and slaves. Their lives and experiences are richly conveyed through a wide variety of media including monumental marble sculptures and reliefs, paintings and mosaics, bronze statuettes, jewelry, glass and silver implements. These objects demonstrate how the art of Rome shaped ancient life by representing its leaders and deities, defining public and private spaces, acculturating the conquered, and celebrating the dead. The exhibition also illustrates the varied roles that Roman art has played in the post-Classical period, and that it continues to play today.

Listen to the audio guide that accompanied this exhibition.

Portrait of Lucilla, 2nd half of 2nd century A.D., grey-veined marble, 78 3/4 x 37 3/8 x 28 5/16 in. (weight 3420 lbs), Musée du Louvre, Paris, (MA 1171-INV. N 1482), © AFA / Musée du Louvre / Anne Chauvet, Courtesy of the American Federation of Arts