Greek treasures on display and in print

Due to its popularity since its opening in November, the exhibition The Countless Aspects of Beauty in Ancient Art at the National Museum of China has been extended till September.

"Chinese people have had a strong interest and curiosity about Greece," says Zhao Xiaoyun, curator of the exhibition on ancient Greek art from NMC, at a sharing event about a catalog of the exhibition with the same title recently in Beijing.

While the exhibition on Greece at Capital Museum of China that closed in mid-May systematically presented the social and cultural landscapes of various periods of Greek civilization, offering a panoramic view of ancient Greek history, the one at NMC is more like a lyric the Greek wrote to themselves, showcasing the purest and most simplistic beauty of Greek artwork, Zhu says, with each exhibit radiating its own brilliance.

To create the book, China Translation and Publishing House brought together a team of experts in Greek history, culture, and language, alongside English specialists and scholars from the NMC, to collaborate with their Greek counterparts on a rigorous review process, says Liu Yongchun, editor-in-chief of CTPH.

The book delves into the aesthetic aspects of ancient Greek artifacts, featuring photographs of 279 pieces (or sets) from the National Archaeological Museum of Greece, many of which were displayed abroad for the first time.

Covering periods from the Neolithic era to the Pan-Hellenic period, these works illuminate the distinctive role of "beauty" in the Greek spiritual realm, taking readers on a captivating journey through time and space.

"In ancient Greece, beauty represented much more than an aesthetic principle. It was a cornerstone of philosophy, artistic expression and everyday life," says Evgenios Kalpyris, ambassador of Greece to China.

"For the ancient Greeks, beauty was not limited to physical appearance and form. It extended to the harmonious balance between body and spirit, reflecting a higher moral and spiritual excellence; it was linked to truth and virtue, as advocated by philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. Beauty was conceived as a quality that permeates the whole of a being.

"I am sure that The Countless Aspects of Beauty in Ancient Art will be remembered by museum-goers in China with admiration and strong emotions. The beautiful catalog of the China Translation & Publishing House will make sure that its legacy will last for a long time," he says.

As a repository of visual and archaeological material, this book is very valuable, says Wang Yixin, professor of history from Nankai University, who is also the reviewer of the book.

Chinese scholars do not need to travel to Greece every time to see the actual artifacts when conducting research, he adds.

"This book provides us with a wealth of historical and cultural information. Many of the illustrations in the book, or 'explanations', were finalized through discussions among scholars, ensuring their accuracy, which facilitates research in China. Therefore, it is suitable for both art appreciation and academic study," he says.

In recent years, CTPH has introduced a series of Greece-related cultural works, publishing books including Greek Mythology, In Search of the Greeks, Inter-cultural Communication: The Interpretation of Myths of Heracles, How to Fit All of Ancient Greece in an Elevator, and The Countless Aspects of Beauty in Ancient Art.

In the future, more Greece-themed books will be published by CTPH, Liu says.