The museum forgets that it is already a violent graveyard of colonial-era cultural trophies removed from their homelands under dubious circumstances.
Ancient art
Posted inOpinion
The Lax Compliance of Museums with AAM Guidelines for Ancient Art
The most astounding result of our research was discovering how few museums had complied with the American Alliance of Museums’ simplest requirement: having a public collections policy.
Posted inIn Brief
Ancient Art and Artifacts in Utah Are Threatened by Oil and Gas
The boundary changes for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments will threaten ancient art and artifacts on millions of acres of previously protected public land.
Posted inIn Brief
Ancient Utah Rock Art at Risk of Disappearing Completely
The federal government rejected the nomination of ancient Moab-area rock art to the National Register of Historic Places. The team of archaeologists plans to resubmit the sites for listing on the registry, though it will take thousands of hours and significant manpower.
Posted inArt
The Best Places in Utah to See Ancient Art
These eight petroglyph sites provide an illustrated insight to our distant past.
Posted inArt
The Sensuality of Ancient Art in the Round
In antiquity and in the Renaissance there was an inherent sensuality to being able to visually consume a sculpture from every angle.
Posted inArt
Seizure of Looted Antiquities Illuminates What Museums Want Hidden
Over 20,000 precious art objects were seized in a raid at dawn — what can this elucidate about beauty, theft, and the museum?
Posted inArt
How to Teach Ancient Art in the Age of #MeToo
Contending with misogynist imagery in ancient art raises a multitude of questions that demand addressing today.
Posted inArt
Why We Need to Start Seeing the Classical World in Color
The equation of white marble with beauty is not an inherent truth of the universe; it’s a dangerous construct that continues to influence white supremacist ideas today.
Posted inArt
Two Colossal Hellenistic Statues Will Stay at the Met for Two More Years
A couple of ancient giants are extending their American debut by two years.
Posted inArt
Copper Tomb Sculptures Show Rare Forms of Mesopotamian Portraiture
The ten statues in Founding Figures: Copper Sculpture from Ancient Mesopotamia, ca. 3300–2000 BC at the Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan were never meant for our eyes.
Posted inIn Brief
Cheery Skeleton Mosaic Found in Turkey Says, “Enjoy Your Life” [UPDATED]
Reclining by a wine jug and a portion of bread, a cup in one bony hand, the skeleton on a 3rd-century BCE mosaic discovered in Turkey has a simple message for its viewers: “Be cheerful, enjoy your life.”