‘Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, and Moche Pottery’ to Open at Getty Villa

By SARAH SHMERLING | Editor-in-Chief

The “Picture Worlds: Greek, Maya, and Moche Pottery” exhibition will be on display at Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades from April 10 to July 29.

The exhibition “brings together three major world ceramic traditions,” according to a press release: “that of the Greeks in the Mediterranean, the Maya in Central America and the Moche of northern Peru.”

It was described as the “first major exhibition” that juxtaposes painted pottery of these societies, the statement continued, “devoting special attention to the narrative art and social settings in which these dynamic objects were seen and handled.”

“Picture Worlds” will feature more than 40 “ancient painted vessels,” which will be displayed side by side, organized thematically.

“Among the many ancient cultures that decorated ceramics, the Greeks (Archaic and Classical Periods, 700-323 BCE), the Maya (Late Classic Period, 550-850 CE) and the Moche (Early Intermediate period and Middle Horizon, 200-850 CE) stand out for their painted vessels adorned with depictions of heroic adventures, divine encounters, ritual actions and legendary events,” according to the statement. “These pots—made for drinking and feasting, gift-giving or trade, and as offerings—are fundamentally social objects, and the narratives painted upon their surfaces prompted and perpetuated the sharing of cultures, stories and ideals.”

The first gallery—“Makers and Users”—will focus on the people who handled the pieces, beginning with the potters and painters, leading to the individuals who used and gifted them. “Stories and Images” will then present a series of stories, including the Trojan War, episodes involving Maya deities and a Moche divinity known as “Wrinkle Face.”

The exhibition will conclude in the final section, “Handling Narrative,” which shows the ways that handling or rotating the vessels animates the narrative. It will include “specially commissioned replicas” of three of the vessels to allow visitors to “better appreciate the dynamic and immersive potential.”

“Each vessel in this exhibition is a ‘picture world,’ full of expressive possibility,” said David Saunders, associate curator of antiquities. “Seeing them together sharpens our understanding of the three ancient cultures, and—we hope—will invite new perspectives on topics such as image-making and storytelling, that continue to resonate today.”

For more information or to reserve a ticket to visit Getty Villa, located at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, visit getty.edu.