Rome: City and Empire Closing Early at Frist Art Museum
This Saturday, April 21 is final day to view exhibition
Museum will offer free admission on Friday, April 20
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (April 16, 2018)—The exhibition of Roman antiquities, Rome: City and Empire, currently on view at the Frist Art Museum, will be closing early due to construction issues in the downtown area. The last day to see the exhibition will be this Saturday, April 21. The museum will offer free admission this Friday, April 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. to accommodate as many visitors as possible before the extraordinary exhibition leaves Nashville.
Rome: City and Empire has been on loan from the British Museum. The decision to close ahead of the scheduled closing date of May 28 has been a difficult one but was made as a precautionary step to ensure protection of the objects. Lending institutions reserve the right to withdraw objects or an entire exhibition at any time. Earlier this month, 13 of the most fragile objects were removed from view and placed in safe storage. No work in the exhibition has been damaged or compromised.
The more than 200 art objects and artifacts have been on view in the museum’s Ingram Gallery since February 23. The Frist Art Museum was the exclusive North American venue for the exhibition.
“It is with great regret that we announce that Rome: City and Empire will close early,” said Dr. Susan H. Edwards, Frist Art Museum Director and CEO. “We were pleased that after several years of negotiations with the British Museum, we were able to arrange an exhibition of Roman antiquities for Nashville. The British Museum has one of the most extensive and finest collections of Roman art in the world, and we are saddened that the opportunity for people in Middle Tennessee to learn about the impact of the Roman Empire on world culture has been cut short.”
“We work with many partners and have been pleased to include the Frist among the institutions with whom we partner to deliver our exhibitions,” said Amy Dillmann, British Museum Project Manager. “We are committed to sharing the collection, but the safety and security of the collection has to be our top priority. We are delighted so many people have seen the exhibition in two months and look forward to collaborating with the Frist again in the future.”
“Construction in vibrant, growing cities like Nashville is a given. We are grateful to San Diego–based Southwest Value Partners, the developers of the Nashville Yards site, for working closely and diligently with us to lower the impact of construction excavation and blasting significantly below the limits set by the State of Tennessee to meet vibration tolerances agreeable to the British Museum,” said Dr. Edwards. “And, despite efforts by the Frist Art Museum to provide extraordinary precautionary measures, it was not possible to keep the exhibition here until the end of May. We hope many additional visitors will be able to see the exhibition this week before it closes this Saturday, April 21.”
The current exhibition in the Gordon Contemporary Artists Project Gallery, Slavery, the Prison Industrial Complex: Photographs by Keith Calhoun and Chandra McCormick, will be closed, Sunday, April 22 through Thursday, April 26, and will reopen in the Ingram Gallery on Friday, April 27.
Exhibition Credit
The presentation of Rome: City and Empire was a collaboration between the British Museum and the Frist Art Museum.
Sponsor Acknowledgment
Platinum Sponsor: HCA Foundation on behalf of HCA Healthcare/TriStar Health
Hospitality Sponsor: Union Station Hotel
This exhibition is supported in part by the 2018 Frist Gala Patrons and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Buddy Kite: 615.744.3351, bkite@FristArtMuseum.org
Ellen Jones Pryor: 615.243.1311, epryor@FristArtMuseum.org
About the Frist Art Museum
Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Frist Art Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art exhibition center dedicated to presenting and originating high-quality exhibitions with related educational programs and community outreach activities. Located at 919 Broadway in downtown Nashville, Tenn., the Frist Art Museum offers the finest visual art from local, regional, national, and international sources in exhibitions that inspire people through art to look at their world in new ways. The Frist Art Museum’s Martin ArtQuest Gallery features interactive stations relating to Frist Art Museum exhibitions. Information on accessibility can be found at FristArtMuseum.org/accessibility. Gallery admission is free for visitors 18 and younger and for members; $12 for adults; $9 for seniors and college students with ID; and $7 for active military. College students are admitted free Thursday and Friday evenings (with the exception of Frist Fridays), 5:00–9:00 p.m. Groups of 10 or more can receive discounts with advance reservations by calling 615.744.3247. The galleries, café, and gift shop are open seven days a week: Mondays through Wednesdays, and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.; Thursdays and Fridays, 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; and Sundays, 1:00–5:30 p.m., with the café opening at noon. For additional information, call 615.244.3340 or visit FristArtMuseum.org.
