The Cleveland Museum of Art Presents the 2019–2020 Lecture Series

Cleveland, OH (September 25, 2019) – The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) announces the fall lectures for its 2019–2020 annual Lecture Series. This series brings to the museum cutting-edge contemporary artists and some of the most influential scholars from the academic and museum professions to discuss groundbreaking topics in the arts and humanities. 

Selected for their leadership and expertise in specific research areas and to acquaint audiences in Northeast Ohio with their work and thought, the fall season’s speakers include: Kiki Karoglou, associate curator of Greek and Roman art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Deborah Klimburg-Salter, Professor Emerita, Department of Art History, University of Vienna, and associate, Department of South Asian Studies, Harvard University; and Maria Hassabi, innovative artist and choreographer.

The Lecture Series is made possible by the generosity of donors who are committed to fostering public education and scholarship in areas of the museum’s collection that reflect their personal heritage and passions. Their endowment lecture funds are enduring legacies that bring together audiences, artists and scholars every year to celebrate global artistic traditions.

Each lecture is free and open to the public, but reservations are recommended. To make reservations, please call 216-421-7350. 

Details about the series’ spring lectures are forthcoming. 

Lecture Series through Fall 2019 

Dangerous Beauty: Medusa in Classical Art
Speaker: Kiki Karoglou
Sunday, September 29, 2:00 p.m.

Beginning in the fifth century BC, Medusa became increasingly anthropomorphic and feminine, undergoing a visual transformation from grotesque to beautiful. Concurrently, a similar shift occurred in representations of other mythical female hybrid creatures, such as sphinxes, sirens, and the sea monster Scylla. Kiki Karoglou discusses a selection of works drawn primarily from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection. Dating from the late sixth century BC to the 20th century, they range from ancient Greek and Roman armor, drinking cups, and funerary urns to neoclassical cameos and contemporary fashion, including one of the earliest portrayals of Medusa in Greek art.

This lecture is made possible through the Dr. John and Helen Collis Family Endowment. 

The Art of the Shahi Kingdoms—Exploring the Southern Silk Roads (c. 600s–900s) 
Speaker: Deborah Klimburg-Salter 
Saturday, November 2, 3:00 p.m.

Deborah Klimburg-Salter presents her most recent research on the Buddhist and Hindu sites along the southern Silk Roads. Her lecture links the dynamic impact of international trade and cultural mobility with the exploitation of silver, copper, and other mineral resources in the mountainous regions extending from Afghanistan to the border of the Tibetan empire. The Turk Shahi Kingdoms successfully controlled this strategically located region for almost 300 years. Arab and Persian sources from the period of early Islamic expansion describe spectacular precious metal icons. Among the few that survive, several key works are now in the CMA. 

This lecture is made possible through the Dr. Ranajit K. Datta in Memory of Kiran P. and S. C. Datta Endowment Fund.

Paradox of Stillness
Speaker: Maria Hassabi
Saturday, December 14, 2:00 p.m.
Lecture Hall

Born in Cyprus, Maria Hassabi is an artist and choreographer based in New York City and Athens. Her performances and installations presented in theaters, museums, galleries, and public spaces worldwide probe the relationship between the live body and the still image, utilizing stillness and the velocity of deceleration as both technique and subject. Hassabi’s lecture will introduce audiences to the distinct choreographic practice that she has developed over the years. 

This lecture is made possible by the Fran and Warren Rupp Contemporary Art Fund.

In addition to the Lecture Series, the CMA offers a robust selection of adult lectures that are inspired by exhibitions, programs or current issues and events. For more information, visit ClevelandArt.org/events/annual-lecture-series.