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From the Afterlife to Elvis at 2018 Museum Exhibits

‘Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China’ 

Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati

In 1974, local farmers digging a well outside the city of Xi’an, China, discovered pottery shards and bronze arrows. Archaeologists investigated and were astounded to find a buried stone army of 8,000 life-size terracotta warriors and horses.

Nine of these figures recently traveled to the Cincinnati Art Museum as part of the exhibit “Terracotta Army: Legacy of the First Emperor of China.” Along with these incredible statues, the exhibit features approximately 120 related Chinese artifacts, 40 of which have not appeared in the United States.

Archaeologists excavated these Chinese works of art, which date from 770 B.C. to 206 B.C., out of emperor Ying Zheng’s mausoleum, as well as nearby aristocratic tombs and nomadic tribal burial sites. The exhibit gives background information on the history, myths and burial practices in ancient China. Visitors can stand close to a cavalry horse statue and examine ancient armor, jade ornaments and other precious jewelry. Interactive exhibits also reveal details from emperor Zheng’s reign and why he created the sprawling mausoleum.

Groups can book guided tours of the museum and exhibit in advance. Founded in 1881, the Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the country. Its collection of over 67,000 works spans 6,000 years.

“Terracotta Army” will be on display at the museum through August 12.

www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org

‘Daguerreotypes: Five Decades of Collecting’

National Portrait Gallery — Washington

To celebrate 50 years of collecting daguerreotypes for historical and artistic purposes, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington opened “Daguerreotypes: Five Decades of Collecting.” Released in conjunction with the museum’s golden anniversary, the exhibit showcases portraits of renowned Americans, such as activist and reformer Dorothea Dix, entrepreneur and showman P.T. Barnum and Seneca Chief Governor Blacksnake.

Daguerreotypes are a direct-positive image produced on a sensitized plate of silver-clad copper. When the French introduced the image method to the United States in 1839, American practitioners quickly recognized its potential as a portrait medium. It flourished in America for nearly 20 years as the preferred way to capture a portrait.

The exhibition highlights 13 original portraits as a sampling from some of the valuable images held in the museum. The Portrait Gallery holds more than 23,000 objects, including an 1843 daguerreotype of President John Quincy Adams on permanent view in the museum’s America’s Presidents gallery.

Groups can view the anniversary exhibit as well as the America’s Presidents permanent exhibit, which was reopened in September. This revamped, interactive exhibit is the only place outside the White House where visitors can view a complete collection of presidential portraits. Exhibit graphics, interactive kiosks and a museum app allow guests to explore over 800 presidential portraits alongside contextual history.

“Daguerreotypes” will be on exhibit at the museum through June 2, 2019.

www.npg.si.edu