Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
How do different cultures visualize authority? What makes a portrait feel powerful, or even “real”?
Constantine Petridis, curator in Arts of Africa, along with Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, curators in Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, discuss how images of leaders express power. The talk focused on a highlight of the Arts of Africa collection—the Portrait Figure of Metang, the 10th King of Batufam—which was installed alongside portraits of ancient Roman leaders in the Art Institute's Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art.
How do different cultures visualize authority? What makes a portrait feel powerful, or even “real”?
Constantine Petridis, curator in Arts of Africa, along with Lisa Ayla Çakmak and Katharine A. Raff, curators in Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, discuss how images of leaders express power. The talk focused on a highlight of the Arts of Africa collection—the Portrait Figure of Metang, the 10th King of Batufam—which was installed alongside portraits of ancient Roman leaders in the Art Institute's Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art.
