Museum of Antiquities (Saskatoon)
_View_1.jpeg) |
|
| Established | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Location | University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada |
| Coordinates | 52°07′50″N 106°37′57″W / 52.13053°N 106.63253°W |
| Type | Archaeology museum |
| Director | Dr. Tracene Harvey |
| Website | www |
The Museum of Antiquities is an archaeological museum at the University of Saskatchewan. It opened in 1974 to provide an opportunity to study ancient works. The Museum currently features a variety of Greek and Roman sculpture, and contains a collection of Near Eastern, Egyptian, Byzantine, Islamic and Medieval art. It is one of only a handful of museums of its kind in Canada.
The project which became the “Museum of Antiquities” began in 1974. It was initiated by ancient historian Michael Swan and art historian Nicholas Gyenes, both professors of the University of Saskatchewan. The collection began as a small group of replicas purchased from the Louvre, but grew to include replicas from other museums and workshops, as well as original artifacts. The collection grew through the generosity of the University and private benefactors until, in 1981, new facilities in the Murray Library were acquired, the collection was officially opened as the “Museum of Antiquities”, and Catherine Gunderson became the first curator and director of the museum. In 2005, the ever-expanding Museum moved to a larger space in the newly renovated College Building now known as the Peter MacKinnon Building. Dr. Tracene Harvey became director in 2009.
The long-term aim of the Museum is to offer a reliable and critical account of the artistic accomplishments of major Western civilizations and epochs from approximately 3000 BC to 1500 CE. The first step in this endeavor was the presentation of a dependable picture of ancient Greco-Roman sculptural art, as it has heavily influenced much later Western art. The present collection focuses on items from the Middle Helladic (c. 1500 BCE) to the Late Antique (c. 500 CE) period. In recent years, it has been expanded to include pieces from the ancient Near East and ancient Egypt.
The collection is, however, only a beginning. Greco-Roman antiquity was chosen as a starting point. Classical art remains an important frame of reference of Western art, which, whatever it does, does so with awareness of conforming or dissenting. The distinct style of Classical art is also very recognizable and thus provides a familiar foundation. Since the aim of the collection is to make sensible the elements and progressions of the various arts, our initiation is greatly facilitated by familiar examples. The collection’s recent expansion into the art of the ancient Near East and Egypt provides a welcome and necessary counterpoint, illustrating both the convergence and divergence of the artistic traditions of the ancient world.
Given the planned scope of the collection and its aim of explaining and illustrating the evolution of individual arts as well as their interaction, we would be hard pressed to fit, in this small area, adequate representation of the many innovations and rapid changes in pre-modern Western art. Such versatility cannot be thoroughly documented and demonstrated by our few examples. Inevitably, in this phase of the collection, the gaps are many and we can provide only an outline of the art of this period.
...
Wikipedia