The Search for Alexander: An Exhibition

by Nicholas Yalouris, Manolis Andronikos, Katerina Rhomiopoulou

Introductory section on Alexander and his heritage followed by discussion of the Royal Tombs at Vergina, from which many objects in this exhibition came. Catalogue focuses specifically on Alexander the Great and the art his time.

173 works of marble, gold, silver, bronze, ivory, and terracotta of the 4th and 3d centuries B.C. from Greek, European, and American public and private collections included portraits of Philip of Macedon and Alexander the Great. A gold casket, a gold wreath of oak leaves, and armor from the royal tomb at Vergina, thought to be that of Philip, were among the highlights loaned from the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki, where the larger original exhibition was first shown. This blockbuster exhibition, in preparation with Greek authorities for many years, included recent finds from Macedonian tombs from the age of Alexander.

The exhibition was coordinated by the National Gallery with the cooperation of the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sciences, and supported by the National Bank of Greece and Time Inc. for the participants in its United States tour. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition and Gordon Anson designed the lighting for the National Gallery.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Ancient History, Greece, Art, Travel

192 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1980

Reviews

[George Ilsley]

This is a big book, crammed with all the photos and maps that make such a volume delightful. Alexander continues to be an enigmatic controversial figure, yet it is astonishing to realize what he did in a few years marching around with his army. And yet what actually was accomplished?

The search for Alexander, really, is trying to understand why he has such a grip on the cultural imagination. Is he famous for being famous—a celebrity?

There is enough in this book to keep searchers entertained for a long campaign. Even chasing down all the index references to Hephaistion would keep one very busy. Will the gossips never stop chattering about those two guys? Alexander and his BFF are like the original m/m couple that everyone wants to think about — a lot.

[Erik Graff]

As Alexander imitated Achilles right down to the hair-style, so Napoleon imitated Alexander and Rod Stewart, Napoleon. Author Fox appreciates this, even extolls the bloody antics of his alcoholic hero-worshipper. And what, in the end, did Alexander bequeath the world? Athenian democracy? Hardly. What he and his dad did manage to accomplish was to destroy the traditional autonomy of the Greek poleis while spreading the language and culture, if only as a veneer, to the banks of the Indus and Nile Rivers.

[Dr Jelly Head]

Quite a good overview from Philip II up until after Alexander's death. It is slightly outdated as it was published about 40 years ago, but I think everything still holds up fairly well. There are lots of beautiful colour photographs throughout on almost every page, which is something I love when dealing with ancient history as it can be difficult to imagine how so much time has changed our environments. It is a very accessible work. As ever, Fox retains his professional approach to dealing with the uncertain truths of Alexander's life and how we can consider these in our modern day.

One thing that disappointed me a little was that the images didn't include dates of when they were taken, which I really would have liked as they could have been taken from decades before the book release.

[Sara Laor]

very good overview.

[William]

Better than average coverage of Alexander's complexity.

[Ken Wahe]

Just the pictures merit it a 5 star. This is a major academic work by a renowned ancient history writer and researcher. I perhaps got more out of it as it somewhat follows two podcast that put me to bed at night. Or should I say they follow Fox. That is not to say that Kagan is not an expert on his own. I think Fox gives us a well balanced picture of Alexander especially in terms of his personal life. In short he cuts him no slack . I had the feeling that the author did not read any more into his source material than was there. I really would like to sit in a roomm and have an expert detail everything he sees in a coin or a vase or a wall covering.

[Beatrice Canales]

I know this book is an older book and I found it by chance, but I can't seem to put it down.

[Tosh Toshniwal]

Had ordered the book from Robin Lane Fox but Amazon delivered An Exhibition. Anyway, it is interesting particularly the opening essays before catalogue of the exhibition.

[Morbo2000 Morbo2000]

Amazing photography and wonderful narrative. Takes you there.