Illustrated lecture with Ava Forte Vitali, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Date: Thursday, July 17
Time: 8:00 PM
Admission: $8 (Tickets here)
Part of the Death and The Occult in the Ancient World Series

While school children and soccer moms alike can strike that notorious ‘walk like an Egyptian’ pose, few people actually understand the motives and reasons behind the distinct artistic style of the ancient Egyptians. Their artwork depicting the natural world demonstrates that they were talented artists, who were able to carefully depict things according to how they actually appeared. Why, then, did they choose to show some things–including themselves!–in the specific and somewhat strange manner which we call aspective? This lecture will explain the cultural reasoning behind this style of depiction, the link between Egyptian art and the written word, and will provicde you with the knowledge to interpret almost any piece of Egyptian art, and impress friends on museum visits for years to come!

Ava Forte Vitali completed her Master’s Degree in Art History and Archaeology, with a specialization in the Egyptian and Classical World, at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University. Her research interests include the interaction of the physical and spirit world in Ancient Egypt, archaeology of the household, and Ancient Egyptian domestic and ancestor cults, on which her Master’s focused. She has excavated at sites in Egypt and Turkey, and is a Collections Manager for Greek and Roman Art at the Metropolitan Museum. She is currently writing a contribution on the Arts and Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, for an upcoming text book on the introduction to Art History.

Death and The Occult in the Ancient World Series
This is a new series of monthly lectures, workshops and tours which aim to examine the way people along the ancient Mediterranean interacted with the unseen forces in the world. While many basic ancient myths and mortuary traditions are known to most people with a casual interest, often this barely scrapes the top of a rich wealth of information and long history of interesting, engaging, and surprisingly weird traditions and beliefs. Through illustrated lectures, guided tours, and occasional workshops, we will strive to understand the different approaches that the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans had to explaining the world around them and challenge popular misconceptions held by the public today.

Through this series we hope to bridge the gap that often exists between academic disciplines and the public audience, bringing the two together in an approachable forum. Led by a trained Archaeologist and Art Historian Ava Forte Vitali of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this series will expand upon topics including religion, art, archaeology, and texts, in order to further our understanding of both our world and theirs.

**All tickets are will call**

Please note: refunds issued only if event is cancelled.