Paper short abstract:

This paper argues that Greek architectural sculpture has, in recent years, begun to be regarded less as high art, and more as archaeological artefact, and that this change is reflected in the way those sculptures are being displayed in museums.

Paper long abstract:

The display of Greek sculpture in museums gained prevalence in the early nineteenth century with the discovery and excavation of numerous temples and sanctuaries. Copies of the collections were made in plaster and shipped out to museums across the globe wanting to display what were deemed to be examples of the finest art to come out of Classical Greece. These displays were often designed so as to produce the best conditions for artists wanting to draw and paint the sculptures.

In recent years several of these collections have undergone significant rearrangements, with many of these new exhibitions attempting to reunite the sculptures with their archaeological background, exhibiting them in ways that remind the visitor of their architectural origins and context from which they came. The age of the display of Greek sculpture as pieces of art, shown in isolation of their intended surroundings, devoid of their archaeological history, appears to be coming to an end.

This paper discusses the different methods of display currently being employed to present Greek architectural sculpture as archaeology rather than art. It compares archaeological, historical and artistic exhibitions of architectural sculpture, analysing the various display methods used in each.