Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
10.00 am to 6.00 pm
Liebieghaus
Skulpturensammlung
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
10.00 am to 6.00 pm
For more than 40 years, Vinzenz Brinkmann, Head of the Collections of Antiquities at the Liebieghaus, and Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann have been researching the polychromy of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. As part of a traveling exhibition, the results of their research are captivating the public worldwide. The aim is to convey as accurate a picture as possible of the original statue through the color reconstructions of marble and bronze statues - always supported by scientific research.
At the Liebieghaus, the scientific color reconstructions were first on view in 2008 under the title “Gods in Color — Painted Sculpture of Classical Antiquity”, followed in 2020 by the expanded exhibition “GODS IN COLOR — GOLDEN EDITION: Polychromy in Antiquity”.
From 21 October 2023, the Colourful Gods will be on display at the Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium.
“A lifetime of persistence has afforded the Brinkmann replicas a celebrity status that can eclipse the genuine artifacts [...]. You can attribute much of that popularity to the Brinkmanns’ traveling exhibition, “Gods in Color,” which has been presented at venues like the Vatican Museums, the Harvard Art Museums and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, England since 2003.“
“The most shocking revelation of the show, however, was that this isn’t news – significant evidence of ancient polychromy has been recorded over nearly two millennia.“
“It’s surprising, almost jarring, to see these ancient works depicting gods, goddesses, important personalities, and mythological creatures painted in lively colors with flesh-toned paint, colorful clothes […], and sometimes with touches of gold. But this is how ancient sculpture used to be.”
“Think classical sculptures were all white marble? Think again.“
“In the past two decades, polychromy has caught on in museums, with projects like the ongoing touring exhibition ‘Gods in Color’ […] deploying richly multicolored reconstructions to spotlight how ancient artisans sought mimesis through form and color. Slowly and steadily, they’ve injected a much-needed corrective to the perception of an achromatic antiquity.”
“Scattered through the Met’s Greek and Roman galleries are a series of painted figures with red lips and rouged cheeks and outfits as vibrant as anything seen at the Met Gala.”
The successful Liebieghaus exhibition has meanwhile been touring the world for twenty years and delighted more than three million visitors. Each venue presents further reconstructions—along with new insights into ancient polychromy—and brings the once brightly coloured look of antiquity’s sculptures back to life. A suspenseful journey with no end in sight.
Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren, Belgium (October 2023 to June 2024)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, USA (July 2022 to March 2023)
Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt on the Main (January 2020 to September 2021)
Legion of Honor, San Francisco, USA (October 2017 to January 2018)
Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico (October 2016 to January 2017)
The British Museum, London, Great Britain (March to June 2015)
Ashmolean Museum, Cast Collection, Oxford, Great Britain (January to June 2015)
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark (September to December 2014)
Museum der Universität Tübingen, Schloss Hohentübingen, Germany (April to August 2014)
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria (November 2012 to March 2013)
Art collections of Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany (June to October 2012)
Winckelmann-Museum, Stendal, Germany (December 2011 to April 2012)
Heidelberg University, Institute for Classical Archaeology/University Collections, Heidelberg, Germany (October 2011 to May 2012)
University of Göttingen, Department of Archaeology/University Collections, Göttingen, Germany (March to July 2011)
Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden (October 2010 to January 2011)
Pergamon Museum, Berlin State Museums, Berlin, Germany (July to October 2010)
Museo Arqueológico Regional de la comunidad de Madrid, Spain (December 2009 to April 2010)
Museum Palace Wilhelmshöhe Collection of Antiques, Kassel, Germany (March to June 2009)
Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung, Frankfurt on the Main (October 2008 to February 2009)
Museum für Abgüsse Klassischer Bildwerke, Munich, Germany (June to August 2008)
The Getty Villa, Malibu (Los Angeles), USA (March to June 2008)
Harvard Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Havard University, Cambridge (Massachusetts), USA (September 2007 to January 2008)
Museum of Arts and Crafts, Hamburg, Germany (April to July 2007)
Istanbul Archaeology Museum, Istanbul, Turkey (April to July 2006)
National Archaeological Museum, Athen, Greece (January to March 2006)
Allard Pierson Museum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (August to November 2005)
Antikenmuseum und Sammlung Ludwig, Basel, Switzerland (August to November 2005)
Vatican Museums, Rome, Italy (November 2004 to January 2005)
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark (March to May 2004)
Staatliche Antikensammlungen und Glyptothek, Munich, Germany (December 2003 to February 2004)
