The Bacchus Conservation Project: The Story of a Sculpture (Exhibition)
Roman, 1st–3rd century, Statue of Bacchus, marble, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. John D. Humber
The Bacchus Conservation Project: The Story of a Sculpture
March 7, 2020 – June 27, 2021
East Building
Over the last few years, the Statue of Bacchus has been under intense scholarly scrutiny. The sculpture has been studied, sampled, and analyzed by a team of curators, classicists, art historians, conservators, geologists, scientists, and engineers. The Bacchus Conservation Project comes to a close with a focus exhibition that explains why and how this composite marble statue of the god of wine was studied, conserved, and restored.
In the focus exhibition, viewers learn about the rare Roman torso at the core of the statue and dive into the complex history of the sculpture; discover how scientific analysis together with discussions about modern perceptions of ancient art led to a change in the proposed conservation treatment; and find out how an artist, 3-D specialists, and a basketball player became involved with the restoration of this fascinating sculpture.
Free to public.
The Bacchus Conservation Project is made possible by Bank of America and The Institute of Museum and Library Services (MA-30-16-0264-16). Additional support is provided by Steve and Frosene Zeis and Don Davis and Peggy Wilks.
Support for collection research and initial study of the Statue of Bacchus is made possible by Ann and Jim Goodnight/The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fund for Curatorial and Conservation Research and Travel.