The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) presents the Fifth Annual John and Helen Collis Lecture featuring Professor Carol C. Mattusch, Mathy Professor of Art History at George Mason University. The lecture, Greek Bronze Statuary: The Birth of the Classical Style, will take place on October 5, 2008 at 2 p.m. in Gallery 101 of the museum, with a simulcast in the CMA lecture and recital hall.

Professor Mattusch will reveal how the amazing bronze-casting techniques of the ancient Greeks allowed them to create large life-like figures in bronze. Her beautifully illustrated lecture will show how the advanced technologies of the ancient Greeks led directly to the emergence of the famous Greek classical style. “I want the audience to learn how technology is just as important as style,” said Mattusch. “You have to look at the artistic side of things, and you need to consider all the different techniques used to create the figures.”

Mattusch is a widely published author on ancient Greek art. Her two books on large classical bronzes have become standard works: “Greek Bronze Statuary: From the Beginnings through the Fifth Century B.C”., 1988; and “Classical Bronzes: The Art and Craft of Greek and Roman Statuary”, 1996.

A graduate of both Bryn Mawr College and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Mattusch teaches at George Mason. Her exhibition, Pompeii and the Roman Villa: Art and Culture around the Bay of Naples will open at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. this year and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 2009. “The exhibition will contain art collections and evidence from Roman times,” said Mattusch. Sculpture, paintings, and mosaics will be on display.

The annual John and Helen Collis Lecture is made possible through the John and Helen Collis Family Endowment. The annual John and Helen Collis Lecture alternates between Ancient Greek and Byzantine Art. Every year it brings nationally and internationally recognized experts in the field of art history and archeology to CMA to discuss new scholarship, museum exhibitions and archaeological discoveries.

“We’re very proud to have been able to make this contribution to The Cleveland Museum of Art,” says Dr. John Collis. His wife, Helen Collis, adds, “After the Magna Graecia exhibition, our family wanted to continue fostering an understanding of Hellenic culture, both ancient and Byzantine, by making these lectures available to everyone.”

The endowment is the first of its kind at the museum, as it presents an annual lecture dedicated to a particular art historical emphasis. Additional support for this lecture comes from The Hellenic Preservation Society (HPS) of Northeastern Ohio. HPS is a non-profit organization whose focus is to preserve the Hellenic legacy that will promote the Greek experience through education, collection and preservation. Dr. John and Helen Collis are both members of HPS; Mrs. Collis is a founding member, while Dr. Collis is on the HPS advisory board. --