2024-04-23
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has just announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the Greek government and the Museum of Cycladic Art. The subject of the agreement is a collection of 161 objects of Cycladic art. The museum will have the right to exhibit the collection for 25 years, starting in January 2024. The collection was created by Leonard N. Stern, a businessman and Cycladic art enthusiast.
The entire term of the agreement covers up to 50 years of the loan, with the proviso that part of the collection will also be exhibited in Greece for a period of 15 years. A selection of 15 of the most important works from the collection will be exhibited first in Athens for one year, starting in early November this year, before being transported to The Met. The originator of the collection, Leonard N. Stern has funded a special fund for The Met to support the exhibition and study of Cycladic art.
The Museum of Cycladic Art is located in the centre of Athens and focuses on informing and promoting "the ancient civilizations of the Aegean and Cyprus, with a special focus on Cycladic art from the 3rd millennium BC". The museum's website states that the Cycladic figurines on display have been the inspiration for many contemporary artists such as Konstantin Brancusi, Amedeo Modigliani, Alberto Giacometti and Henry Moore.
Cycladic art is considered to be the creations created between 2900 and 1100 BC on the islands of the Cyclades archipelago. The main centres of this culture were the islands of Syros, Naxos and Milos. The most characteristic elements of Cycladic art are the figurines, male and female. The sizes of the figurines vary; all figures, both female and male, are nude. Some of them, perform various activities, such as playing the harp, while others simply stare at the viewer. Cycladic figurines are also found on the antiquarian market. Interestingly, experts believe that a large proportion of the Cycladic cultural creations on offer are forgeries.