New Exhibition in Centro Explores the Olympic Games in Antiquity

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – While Rio de Janeiro hosts the 2016 Summer Olympics, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (MnBA) in Centro, will house an exhibition that explores the origin of the games. Opened on July 27th and remaining on display through October 2nd, the “Os Jogos da Antiguidade, Grécia e Roma” (The Games of Antiquity, Greece and Rome) exhibition highlights the history of the Olympic Games in Greece and Rome.

Curated by Eugenio La Rocca, Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University Sapienza in Rome and co-curated by historian Annalisa Lo Monaco, a graduate from the University of Pisa, Italy, the exhibition features approximately sixty works, including sculptures, mosaics, paintings, and recent archaeological discoveries, with some dating back over 2,500 years.

Many of the works are on loan from famous Italian and Greek musuems and collections including the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Vatican Museums, Naples National Archaeological Museum, The Museum of Classical Art at the University of Rome Sapienz, National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, National Archaeological Museum, National Roman Museum – Palazzo Massimo alle Terme and the Capitoline Museums.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Italian National Olympic Committee , the Embassy of Italy in Brazil, the Italian Consulate in Rio de Janeiro, the Istituto Italiano di Cultura in Rio de Janeiro, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, and the Associação Amigos do MNBA (Friends of MnBA Association).

“The exhibition is of major relevance for the history of the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes and for the city of Rio de Janeiro,” curator Eugenio La Rocca told Agência Brasil.

“Os Jogos da Antiguidade | Grécia e Roma” will remain on display through October 2nd. Hours of Operation are Tuesdays through Fridays, 10AM to 5PM, and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 1PM to 5PM. Admission to the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes is free on Sundays.

For additional information, see the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes website.

What: “Os Jogos da Antiguidade | Grécia e Roma” ( The Games of Antiquity | Greece and Rome )
When: July 27th through October 2nd. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10AM to 5PM, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 1PM to 5PM.
Where: Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Av. Rio Branco, 199 – Centro
Entrance: R$4 – R$8 with free admission on Sundays.