Art: Born in Stone

Tucked into a dip in the plateau to avoid challenging the famed outline of the Parthenon, Athens' Acropolis Museum is an inconspicuous but memorable shrine to the great moment when European art was born. In little more than a century, Greek sculpture passed from the archaic, which was mainly imported, to the classical and home grown. The austere Greek figures of the 6th century B.C. gave way to the playful and nearly human marbles of the 5th century. This moment of new birth, perhaps the most important in art history, is newly documented as the Acropolis Museum celebrates the new year...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!