The influence of Greek portraiture has endured through the ages, defining practices from Ancient Rome to the Renaissance, and up until the present day. But Greek portraiture was not photo-realist in that it was true to life; rather, it depicted subjects as cultural types—and these types were based on social status, age, and group affiliations. The Altes exhibition explores the tensions inherent in Greek portraiture: the social ideal of a type versus the singular truth of a human face. —E.C.

Tough Types: Portraits of Ancient Greeks
Altes Museum
Bodestraße 1-3, 10178 Berlin, Germany
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