Nassos Papalexandrou ǀ Our Presidents' Gifts: The Role of Greek Antiquities in Greek/U.S. Political Relationships after WW II

Political gift exchanges are freighted with diplomacy and symbolism, involving complex relationships between the givers, receivers, and objects. In the late 1940s, Greek antiquities were presented to American presidents and officials as state gifts. Scattered in presidential museums and collections, these spectacular objects have largely escaped scholarly attention.
In this talk, Nassos Papalexandrou assesses the character of these antiquities and why they were chosen as diplomatic gifts. He will discuss their qualities as ancient artifacts, the rich symbolic connotations they carried at the moment of their presentation, and their reception by those who received them as diplomatic gifts.
Papalexandrou specializes in early Greek figurative art and archaeology at the University of Texas at Austin.
Co-presented with the Archaeological Institute of America.