A new show that spotlights a little-known Mesoamerican culture opened on Saturday at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. “Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico” features over 100 artifacts drawn from Mexican national collections and over 25 other museums, according to the de Young website. The artifacts include colossal heads, a throne, stelae (carved or sculpted stone slabs used as monuments or commemorative tablets), small-scale vessels, figures, adornments, and masks that characterize the Olmec culture.
The Olmec
The Olmec culture was a Pre-Columbian civilization in the south-central tropical lowlands of Mexico. The Olmec lived from about 1500 BCE to 400 BCE and were precursors to several other, more famous Mesoamerican cultures including the Aztecs and the Maya. Their culture included characteristics of these later cultures, including ritual bloodletting and the Mesoamerican ball game.
The Olmec are best known for their art and the culture itself was first defined using items purchased on the art market in the late 19th and early 20th century. The most recognized of Olmec creations are the helmeted colossal heads carved from whole boulders. These heads are thought to be portraits of rulers, maybe dressed as ballplayers. The most interesting thing about the heads is that no two are alike and the helmet-like headdresses are carved with distinctive designs, which may indicate individual or group symbols.
Other important art forms include rectangular thrones, sculptures, and stelae in a large number of media including jade, clay, basalt, and greenstone. Much of the art is carved from stone and highly stylized in anthropomorphic forms. Common motifs include downturned mouths and cleft heads, especially in were-jaguars. Some of the art is much more naturalistic in form.
The Exhibit
“Olmec: Colossal Masterworks of Ancient Mexico” opened at the de Young Museum on February 19 and runs through May 8, 2011. Admission is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors 65+, $21 for students with current student ID, $15 for youths 6–17, and free for members and children 5 and under. There is a $5 discount for purchasing tickets online in advance. The de Young Museum is open Tuesday through Thursday and Saturday and Sunday 9:30 am to 5:15 pm and Friday 9:30 am to 8:45 pm. It is closed on Mondays.
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