Pleasant Living Magazine

The Richmond Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts present "Reconstructing Lost Wonders of the World: Phidias' Zeus Olympios and Athena Parthenos, a lecture by Dr. Kenneth Lapatin, associate curator of antiquities at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Archaeological Institute of America Joukowsky Lecturer. The lecture will be in the Marble Hall at 6 p.m. The Athenian sculptor Phidias was the most celebrated artist of Classical antiquity. Greek and Latin authors praised his work, in particular his monumental gold and ivory statues "Zeus" at Olympia and "Athena" in the Parthenon on the Acropolis. This lecture presents some of the evidence for the reconstruction of these lost masterpieces and investigates the revolutionary techniques of their production, as well as their widespread religious, political and artistic impact, both in antiquity and afterwards. The lecture is free and open to the public. Advance tickets are required and are available at the ticket desk in the Pauley Center, by telephoning 804-340-1405 or online at www.vmfa.museum.