Sleeping Hermaphrodite Roman, Imperial Period, 1st century B.C. Marble *Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Roma *Su concessione del Ministero per i Beni e le Attivitá Culturali Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici di Roma *Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love

Ancient worshipers had to travel to Mount Olympus in Greece or to temples in Cyprus to pay homage to Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, but today, devotees can admire the beguiling divinity closer to home at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), in Aphrodite and the Gods of Love.

Statuette of Aphrodite emerging from the sea Greek or Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, Hellenistic or Imperial Period, 1st century B.C. or 1st century A.D. Marble probably from the Greek island of Paros *Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Frank B. Bemis Fund *Photograph © Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

On view October 26, 2011, to February 20, 2012, it is the first museum exhibition of classical works devoted solely to Aphrodite (known as Venus to the Romans) and her realm -one that celebrates her likeness as the first female nude in western art history. It features some 160 works from the MFA's Greek and Roman collection and includes 13 loans -nine from Rome and Naples- including Sleeping Hermaphrodite. This exhibition is organized under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the unification of Italy.

Aphrodite and the Gods of Love aims to answer the questions, "Who was Aphrodite, and why was she so important to the Greeks and Romans?". In addition to celebrating the goddess's legacy as an icon of romantic love and ideal beauty, the exhibition in the MFA's Lois and Michael Torf Gallery examines her more complicated nature as a powerful deity who influenced the daily lives of mortals, and explores the roles played by the other gods of love -Aphrodite's children from her many love affairs- particularly Eros. It also traces the first depiction of the female nude back to the Knidia, a life-size sculpture of Aphrodite made by the great 4th-century BC artist, Praxiteles, for her temple at Knidos, a Greek city in Asia Minor. This sculpture marked a turning point for the depiction of the female in western art

Divided into five main sections, Aphrodite and the Gods of Love begins with the deity's birth in
Cyprus and origins rooted in Near Eastern mythology, followed by an exploration of the cult of
Aphrodite, the goddess's myth and her influence over marriage, the concept of beauty -both ideal and in daily life, and the role Eros and other gods of love played in ancient Greek lore.

Date: until February 20.
Location: Museum of Fine Arts (MFA). Boston Avenue of the Arts, 465, Huntington Avenue. Boston. USA.
Opening hours: Mondays and Tuesdays from 10am to 4.45pm. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 9.45pm. Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 4.45pm.