8 Go Greek in London
Michelangelo might hog the limelight when it comes to depicting the human form in pencil or marble, but the first artistic masters of the body were the ancient Greeks. This spring, the British Museum is showcasing the huge variety of their creations. On display are 150-odd works, ranging from prehistoric figurines to the realistic sculptures of Alexander the Great’s era. They include pieces never before seen in the UK, such as a bronze sculpture of an athlete, found off the Croatian coast, and highlights from the museum’s own collection – marble figures from the Parthenon, for example. Also on display are works by later artists that show the legacy of their art, from Roman copies loaned by the Vatican, to Michelangelo’s drawing of Adam for the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Marble statue of a Greek discusthrower from the 5th century BC