The Dawn of Aegean Archaeology: Gillieron's Bronze Age Greece July 15, 2011

This exhibition features a selection of early twentieth-century reproductions of now-famous artworks from Sir Arthur Evans's historic excavations of Minoan Crete and Heinrich Schliemann's Mycenaean Greece. Emile Gillieron and, later, his son were the senior draftsmen responsible for reconstructing the fresco paintings in the palace at Knossos. The Gillierons formed a thriving business selling original watercolors after the frescoes and other reproductions of three-dimensional artworks, which they made directly from the originals. Their work influenced the study of Aegean art and was integral to its widespread introduction throughout Europe and America. The installation draws from the Metropolitan Museum's own collection of Gillieron reproductions, which is the largest in existence.