Ashmolean Museum to host exhibition on the history of Aphrodite

The Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford is set to launch an exhibition this autumn titled "The Making of a Goddess," which traces the 5,000-year evolution of the goddess Aphrodite. The exhibition marks the first time that specific Cypriot antiquities will be presented outside of Cyprus, highlighting the island as the site of the goddess's mythological emergence and her initial encounter with immigrants from the Greek Aegean.

The exhibition features a multidisciplinary approach, combining archaeology, sculpture, painting, contemporary art, and fashion. Key artifacts on display include the "Crouching Aphrodite" (c. 199 AD) from the Royal Collection, the "Capitoline Venus" (c. 160 AD) on loan from the Louvre, and Botticelli’s "Venus" from the Gemaldegalerie in Berlin. The collection also incorporates modern works by artists such as Yves Klein and Michelangelo Pistoletto, alongside contemporary fashion pieces like the Loewe dress worn by Beyoncé.

By exploring the narrative from her early eastern Mediterranean roots through the works of Homer and Hesiod to her enduring legacy in the Renaissance and modern day, the museum aims to demonstrate the goddess's lasting cultural impact. The exhibition is scheduled to open in October, inviting visitors to engage with one of the most iconic symbols of the ancient world.