Rhodes, une île grecque aux portes de l’Orient, Musée du Louvre, Paris
The exhibition Rhodes, une île grecque aux portes de l’Orient, held at the Musée du Louvre from 14 November 2014 to 9 February 2015, explored the island’s archaeology from the 15th century BC to the 5th century BC, a subject that remains relatively unknown to the general public. Famous as the former site of the Colossus – one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World – and home to the Knights of St John in the Middle Ages, Rhodes was an important trading post between the Aegean and the East from ancient times onwards. The first exhibition devoted exclusively to Rhodes, the display centred around three main themes: the history of the excavations conducted since 1859 by French, English, Danish, Italian and Greek archaeologists; the cultural diversity of Rhodes, resulting from its position as a trading hub in the Eastern Mediterranean; and the Orientalising character of Rhodian art, as illustrated by some of its most spectacular pieces, notably examples of gold and silver work, unrivalled in the Greek world, and faience, a craft associated with Egypt and the Levant.
Grant given:
2014
