The Greek potter and painter Exekias lived in Athens in the 6th century BC and worked in the Kerameikos, the potters’ quarter of the city. Little is known about his life (born before 550 BC, death around 525 BC), but his vases live on forever. He represents Athenian black-figure painting at its technical and artistic pinnacle and his ceramics were exported to Greek settlements in the Mediterranean and Etruscan territories in Italy. Etruscan graves in Vulci, Chiusi and Orvieto are silent witnesses of his prestige. His horses and a dying Ajax are amongst his most famous depictions. Although he missed the performances of the heyday of Greek tragedies in the fifth century, he was a predecessor of the psychology behind the deeds and appearances of mankind. He was one of the first Greek vase artists to have signed his work both as potter and as painter. For the first time, Exekias’s high quality oeuvre will be displayed in a monographic exhibition. Never before has it been possible to display together some 20 of his works.
Announcement of the exhibition. Photo: Archaeological collecition University Zurich.