An Aztec-style Birthing Figure in the Dumbarton Oaks collection has incited fascination and controversy for over a century. Celebrated by some as a masterpiece, maligned by others as a fake, it has provided inspiration to generations of artists from Man Ray and Diego Rivera to Steven Spielberg and Eduardo Paolozzi.
The exhibition traces the changing perceptions of this one-of-a-kind sculpture and illustrates its powerful hold on the human imagination.
Events
Pre-Columbian Art between the Ethnographic and the Surreal: Man Ray’s Imagined Americas.
Lecture by Wendy Grossman
Thursday, September 26, 2013, 5:30 p.m.
Bringing the Pre-Columbian World to Life: The Scholar's Role in Entertainment Media
Lecture by John Pohl
Thursday, February 6, 2014, 5:30 p.m.
This exhibition is part of a year-long program of exhibitions and events to celebrate 50 Years of Pre-Columbian Art at Dumbarton Oaks.