The first art exhibition held in the Canterbury Museum building featured many treasures from classical Greek and Roman culture.
In this free talk, Terri Elder, Canterbury Museum Research Associate and Curator of the University of Canterbury Teece Museum of Classical Antiquities, explores the influence of classic Greek and Roman culture on the 1870 Canterbury Art Exhibition.
Of the many works listed in the exhibition catalogue, around 50 are readily identifiable as antiquities, copies of classical sculptures, or artworks inspired by the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. Though this was but a small subset of the overall number of artworks, the enduring influence of the classical world, demonstrated by the presence of such objects in an exhibition in Aotearoa, is significant. This inaugural fine art exhibition held in the brand-new Canterbury Museum building was arguably the first major opportunity for Canterbury’s colonial settlers to put their cultural treasures and symbols of taste on display. The inclusion of classical artefacts and images was not only expected but, it can be shown, was promoted as an essential component of the exhibition.
This talk will explore the motivations, intentions and responses to the Classics in this important early art exhibition.
A Friends of the Canterbury Museum talk.