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Gallery Conversation: Myth and Marble—Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection

Fri, May 16 | 2:00–3:00

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A white marble statue of two nude childlike figures in a near embrace, one reaching up to pull the other's head nearer to theirs. The reaching figure has large, birdlike wings, while the other has much smaller wings similar to the shape of a butterfly's.

Statue of Cupid and Psyche, second half of 2nd century CE


Roman, Imperial Period. Torlonia Collection, Rome. © Torlonia Foundation. Photo by Lorenzo De Masi 

Join Katharine A. Raff, Elizabeth McIlvaine Curator in Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, and Sam Ramos, director of Gallery Activation, for an in-gallery conversation exploring the exhibition Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection

about the speakers

Katharine A. Raff is the Elizabeth McIlvaine Curator, Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, at the Art Institute of Chicago, where she has worked since 2011. Her research focuses on ancient Roman art, with a particular emphasis on sculpture (including portraits, ideal sculptures, and funerary monuments) and the contexts in which such objects were made, used, and viewed over time. 

Sam Ramos is director of Gallery Activation at the Art Institute of Chicago. He teaches across the galleries on a variety of topics including nature, history, healthcare, justice, race, colonialism, and, of course, art. He is a practicing writer who has published fiction, art criticism, and essays in a number of places, though his first loves are short stories and novels. His novel, Ghost Box, was longlisted for the 2023 Dzanc Fiction Prize. He received his BFA in art history and studio art, as well as his MFA in creative writing, from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

What to Expect

The group will meet in Griffin Court then move to the exhibition Myth and Marble: Ancient Roman Sculpture from the Torlonia Collection. ASL interpretation and/or assisted listening devices are available upon request at museum_interpretation@artic.edu.

Assisted listening devices are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Requests must be made at least two weeks in advance.

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