On Exhibit: Unseen Ruins Near Pompeii

by | Mar 20, 2017

Image courtesy of the Smith College Museum of Art
Image courtesy of the Smith College Museum of Art

From Italy With Ash

Featuring works seen for the first time outside Italy, this exhibit contains pieces from the ancient town of Oplontis. When Mount Vesuvius blew in 79 CE it buried more than just Pompeii. Pieces excavated from Oplontis reveal a life of luxury and shopping. The artwork is drool-worthy: so fine, precise, soft, and powerful. After centuries underground, the pieces — which range from statues, to lamps, to mortars, to tiles, to reliefs — are still communicating with us today.

Leisure and Luxury in the Age of Nero — The Villas of Oplontis near Pompeii: Through Aug. 13. $4-$5, free for people age 18 and younger. 20 Elm St., Northampton. (413) 585-2760, smith.edu/artmuseum. 

— Kristin Palpini