Manpower Lectures – #2 Ancient Greek Male Identity and the Modern World

Lecture 2: Ancient Greek male identity and the modern world
Lecturer: Anastasia Bakogianni

Drawing on heroes of classical mythology, the Iliad, Greek tragedy and their modern adaptations, Dr Anastasia Bakogianni explores what it meant to be a man in the ancient Greek world. Researching expectations placed upon men and the warrior ethos, she tracks its impact throughout the centuries and on the modern concept of masculinity.  

Dr Anastasia Bakogianni is a scholar of comparative approaches to the study of the classical world, Greek tragedy, and its reception in the modern world. She is author of ‘Performing Violence and War Trauma: Ajax on the Silver Screen.’ In I. Berti, MG. Castello, & C. Scilabra (Eds.) Ancient Violence in the Modern Imagination: The Fear and the Fury. Anastasia is currently Senior Lecturer in Classical Studies at Massey University (Auckland campus).

Overview 

Manpower: Myths of Masculinity brings into focus some of the many images of male bodies that have underpinned the rich holdings of Auckland’s public art gallery since its foundation in 1888 and in the process explores the complex relationships between people and art, and between men and masculinity.

Across lectures from four leading scholars, you will learn about the varying depictions of the male body and the ever-roaming male gaze in art and culture. Starting with an introduction to the exhibition, uncover the appeal and interpretations of artworks for Victorian-era collectors. Embark on a series of scholarly case studies starring the warriors of ancient Greece, the effete Victorian dandy, and the famous strongman Eugen Sandow, who toured New Zealand in 1902.  

Manpower: Myths of Masculinity was researched by Senior Curator of International Art Sophie Matthiesson and Assistant Curator, International Art Emma Jameson. 
 

Course outline and Materials 

This course comprises four lectures; three will be conducted live and in-person at the Gallery, one will be pre-recorded. Students can watch the pre-recorded lecture at home.

All students will receive a course syllabus with a recommended reading list as well as a copy of the Manpower exhibition catalogue (RRP: $30). Tickets cover in-person admission to lectures one, two and three and online access to the fourth.

This lecture is the second in a four-part series, Manpower Lectures: Antiquity, aesthetes and athleticism.  Click here to see the other events.

This event will proceed at Red with:

• Distancing
• Facemasks mandatory
• Scan in using the COVID app
• Vaccination passports mandatory
• See our website for full terms and conditions of entry.

If you are unable to attend this event because you are in self-isolation (because you have tested positive for Covid-19 or you have been identified as a close contact) you are entitled to a full refund.

 

TICKETING

Standard Members                                                                   $100
Open to AAG Members and those with valid guest passes. Includes admission to three lectures in person, access to one online, reading material and a copy of the Manpower exhibition catalogue (RRP: $30).

Standard Non-Members                                                           $190
Includes a one-year membership, admission to three lectures in person, access to one online, reading material and a copy of the Manpower exhibition catalogue (RRP: $30).

Standard Students                                                                    $80
With valid student ID. Includes admission to three lectures in person, access to one online, reading material and a copy of the Manpower exhibition catalogue (RRP: $30).

This event is part of our membership programme. Join us from $50 per year. 

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Image credit: Unknown, ‘The suicide of Ajax the Great. Etrurian red-figured calyx-krater’, c.400-350BCE. © The Trustees of the British Museum.