Symposium: Continuity and Change in Late Antique Art

This symposium celebrates the Art Institute’s new Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art in general and, in particular, the exhibition Late Roman and Early Byzantine Treasures from the British Museum. An international group of scholars will convene to discuss the gradual but profound transformation of the visual arts, and the subject matter displayed therein, between 350 and 700 A.D. A wide variety of art, including architecture, frescoes, jewelry, mosaics, sculpture, and textiles, from the great cultural capitals of the Late Antique Mediterranean world, including Rome and Constantinople, will be considered.

Registration is not required for this event.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Keynote Address: 6:00pm–7:00pm, Fullerton Hall 
Christopher Kelly, University of Cambridge, Confronting the Classical: The Making of Christian Art

Friday, April 12, 2013

Morning Session: 10:30am–1:00pm, Fullerton Hall

Henry Maguire, Johns Hopkins University, "Outshining the Stars: Silks, Jewels, and Mosaics in Late Antiquity"
Jas Elsner, University of Oxford and University of Chicago, "The Lycurgus Cup: Technological Innovation and Jewel-like Effects in Late Antiquity"
Robert Ousterhout, University of Pennsylvania, "A Tale of Two Cities: Constantinople and Jerusalem in the Time of Constantine"

Lunch Break: 1:00pm-2:00pm

Afternoon Session: 2:00pm–4:15pm, Fullerton Hall

Sarah Bassett, Indiana University, "Collecting in Constantinople: Continuity and Change"
Elizabeth Bolman, Temple University, "Changing Perspectives on Late Antiquity: The Red and White Monasteries"
Helen Evans, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, "Byzantium and the Rise of Islam"

Roundtable Discussion: 4:15pm-4:45pm