Longing for what we have lost

An influential explorer’s pursuit of classical antiquity

Portrait of Johann Joachim Winckelmann against classical landscape by an anonymus painter, c. 1760

Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768) was born into a poor family in the German town of Stendal. From these humble beginnings he achieved fame throughout Europe as the ‘father’ of classical archaeology and art history. Since his death, Winckelmann’s life and scholarship have continued to fascinate artists, writers and thinkers. Thus he has become an important figure within European cultural history in general and LGBTQ history in particular.

You may browse this exhibition’s four sections or view each of them separately:

  1. Winckelmann’s journey into the classical past
  2. Winckelmann’s rebirthing of antiquity
  3. Art and the ideal beauty
  4. Winckelmann and the beauty of male friendship

This exhibition was curated by Connell Greene, working under the supervision of Katherine Harloe and Amy C. Smith on a UROP placement in 2017.