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Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya
5/27/2004 Exhibition Reveals Magnificence and Mysteries of the Ancient Maya Court Legion of Honor is the Only West Coast Venue
4 September 2004–2 January 2005
San Francisco, 24 May 2004--Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is the first exhibition in the United States devoted to the fascinating subject of the art and life of the ancient Maya royalty. San Francisco and Washington, D.C. are the only two venues for this major exhibition, which also presents new archaeological discoveries from Palenque, Calakmul, Toniná, Yaxchilán, Comalcalco, and Copan that have never been seen in this country. Prior to its San Francisco showing, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya has been on view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from 4 April–25 June 2003.
Organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the National Gallery of Art, the exhibition builds upon a history of cooperation with Mexico. The Fine Arts Museums’ relations with Mexico, catalyzed by an unexpected and large bequest of Teotihuacan wall paintings in the late 1970s, have resulted in a series of collaborative projects, among them the exhibition Teotihuacan: City of the Gods (1993). "Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is the culmination of many years of cooperation and understanding between San Francisco, Washington, and Mexico," comments Harry S. Parker III, director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. "The exchange of ideas and resources over the past decades has been a vital factor in organizing this important exhibition, and we are appreciative of the generosity and the collaborative spirit of the individuals and their institutions throughout the Americas and the world that have made this exceptional endeavor possible. We are particularly grateful to the cultural leaders, scholars, and government officials, particularly Mexico’s Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes and the Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, for their invaluable assistance. We also wish to thank the many other nations who are lending their works to this important exhibition."
Art for Ancient Kings and Queens
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya demonstrates the visual magnificence of ancient Maya art with over 130 masterworks drawn from some 30 public and private lenders in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Europe, Australia, and the United States. Over 50 percent of the works of art have been lent by Mexico. The exhibition presents a spectacular array of stone sculptures, ceramics, masks, and other precious works created for ancient Maya kings and queens. The objects on view feature primary works of stone sculpture such as stelae, lintels, and panels, as well as supporting works in other media including ceramics, precious stone, and shell, all of which illustrate the themes of royalty and personal power.
The remarkable sculpture of the ancient Maya is unprecedented in its aesthetic excellence and in its majesty. During the 200 years from AD 600 to 800, artists and scribes under the direction of Maya kings and nobles in the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico and adjacent Guatemala achieved a particular height of dramatic expression and naturalism that was unmatched in the ancient New World. Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya reveals the astonishing depth and complexity of some of the great works of art and architecture that these patrons commissioned to memorialize themselves and to insure their places in history.
Political and Religious Power in Ancient Maya City States
Using examples from the ancient Maya cities of Palenque, Toniná, Yaxchilán, and Bonampak, among others, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya examines political and religious power in the royal court, which served as the central force in the life of each city. The 7th and 8th centuries, in particular, exemplified the peak of opulence and refinement in these sophisticated palace cultures, along with increasingly refined notions of courtly rights and responsibilities, rankings, and rituals.
The exhibition is organized around several key themes: the hierarchy and interactions of kings, queens, and courtiers; idealized representations of the divine court and their parallels in reality; the roles of royal women; word and image, focusing on the importance of hieroglyphics in the art; warfare, warriors, and captives; and political dynamics, expressed intentionally or coincidentally in works of art.
Among the signal works on display are the stucco Portrait Head of Pakal (650-680) from Palenque; an intricate jade, obsidian, and shell mask from Calakmul (650-800); and a magnificent carved limestone disk from Chinkultik bearing the likeness of a Maya ballplayer (610-630). The exhibition also focuses on the primacy of word and image in the court, and the status of scribes and artists. Relevant images of paintings from the most recent documentation of the Bonampak murals, the Bonampak Documentation Project, are also featured.
A special focus of the exhibition is the city of Palenque. Because of its extensive ancient and now-deciphered texts, new archaeological discoveries, and the remarkable preservation of its architecture, Palenque provides the single richest example of an ancient Maya court known to the 21st century, with extant works from the reign of every major Palenque ruler from King Pakal (ruled 612-681) to King Kuk (acceded to office, 764).
Curators & Catalogue
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is curated by curator-in-charge Kathleen Berrin, Fine
Arts Museums Curator of Art of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, and visiting curator Professor Mary Miller, Vincent Scully Professor of the History of Art, Yale University.
The exhibition is accompanied by a comprehensive, fully-illustrated 300-page exhibition catalogue by Professor Miller and noted British epigrapher Simon Martin, with a foreword by Kathleen Berrin. This groundbreaking book gathers together both the latest research in Maya civilization and hundreds of illustrations to illuminate the magnificent achievements of this ancient culture.
Published by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and Thames & Hudson, New York and London, the catalogue includes contributions by: Michael D. Coe, Yale University.
Héctor L. Escobedo, Universidad del Valle de Guatemala; Martha Cuevas Garcia, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico; Beatriz de la Fuente, Universidad Nacional
Autónoma de México (U.N.A.M.); Roberto Garcia Moll, Instituto Nacional de Antropolgía e Historia; Arnoldo Gonzalés Cruz and Guillermo Bernal Romero, Proyecto Arqueologico Palenque, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, Mexico; Stephen D. Houston, Brigham Young University; Roberto López Bravo, Palenque, Museo de Sitio "Alberto Ruz L’Huillier"; Diana Magaloni, U.N.A.M.; Alfonso Morales and Julia C. Miller, Instituto Nacional de Antropolgía e Historia; Merle Greene Robertson, Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute; David Stuart, Peabody Museum, Harvard University; and Maria Teresa Uriarte, U.N.A.M.
Exhibition Support
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is organized by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
The exhibition is made possible by Televisa as part of its commitment to promote Mexico's cultural heritage.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities.
The presentation in San Francisco is supported, in part, by generous grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts, Federal agencies, Wells Fargo Foundation, and the Mexico Tourism Board. Media sponsors: KDTV Univision 14 and KFSF TeleFutura 66.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco are especially grateful to the Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes through the Instituto Nacional de Antropología for their generous support and loans to this exhibition.
Tickets and Admission Fees
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya is a ticketed show. Timed and dated tickets will be issued in half-hour increments. Admission for the general public is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors, $12 for youths ages 12–17, and $7 for children ages 5–11. Children under age 5 are free. Ticket prices include the regular admission fee to the Legion of Honor.
Tickets can be obtained at the Legion of Honor admissions desk or online at www.museumtix.com or by calling 1-866-775-3485. Tickets for groups of 10 or more people can be obtained by calling 415-750-3537. General admission is waived every Tuesday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., thanks to Ford Motor Company; however the $7 special exhibition fee is still in effect. There is a $2 discount on paid admission upon presentation of a valid MUNI transfer or Fast Pass.
Magnificent Maya Fridays at the Legion
In celebration of the exhibition, Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya at the Legion of Honor, the museum will remain open until 8:45 p.m. every Friday evening beginning September 10 through November 19. A variety of programs related to Maya Art and culture, past and present will be offered. Programming begins at 6:00 p.m. and will consist of films, lectures, live music, traditional dance, artist demonstrations, docents in the galleries, and light dining in the cafe. For a complete listing of the programs offered on Magnificent Maya Fridays, contact rbaldocchi@famsf.org, www.thinker.org, or 415-682-2481.
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco wishes to recognize and celebrate the Mexican Museum, its collaborative partner in organizing the film series for these evenings and the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, its collaborative partner in organizing El Dia De Los Muertos at the Legion of Honor.
Venues
National Gallery of Art, Washington, 4 April–25 June 2004
Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 4 September 2004–2 January 2005
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