EXPLORING THE ART OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS to Open at Nashville's Frist Center, 3/1

All of the works in the exhibition come from the collection of John Bourne, which he generously gifted to the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. After a trip to the jungles of southern Mexico in 1945, Bourne, along with another explorer and photographer, became the first non-Maya to see the ruins of Bonampak, the now famous Mayan site celebrated for its royal building whose interior walls are covered with historically and politically significant murals. Enamored of the creative expressiveness of the peoples of the ancient Americas, Bourne began collecting art from this region and time period. "At this time in the 1950s, Bourne was one of only a few-which included the Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo-who recognized pre-Columbian artifacts as fine art," Ms. Delmez notes. "Art of the Ancient Americas is as much about the cultural expression of these inimitable cultures as it is John Bourne's lifelong love of collecting works from these regions."

Exploring Art of the Americas: The John Bourne Collection catalogue is written by Dorie Reents-Budet with and introduction by John Bourne and contributions from Julie Lauffenburger, Jessica Arista, Glenn Gates and Marc Zender. Dr. Reents-Budet is consulting curator for art of the ancient Americas at the Walters Art Museum and curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Gallery Guide:
A Spanish language gallery guide will be available in conjunction with Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection.

Audio Tour:
An audio tour will explore the conservation of selected objects in the exhibition.

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