The Harvard Art Museums announced on March 20 that they are presenting a new exhibition, “Celtic Art Across the Ages,” which examines objects created by peoples labeled as Celts from the Iron Age through to modern times. The exhibition aims to challenge common assumptions about Celtic art and its place in European history.
The topic is significant because much of Western understanding of ancient European art has focused on Greek and Roman traditions, often overlooking the contributions and diversity of other cultures such as the Celts. The curators hope to encourage visitors to reconsider how these artifacts are categorized and understood.
Susanne Ebbinghaus, George M.A. Hanfmann Curator of Ancient Art and Head of the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art, said, “Archaeology and art history are still very Greece- and Rome-focused in the United States. So I thought, ‘Oh, it would be amazing to bring some of these objects here.’”
The exhibition features nearly 300 objects from collections across Europe and North America, including jewelry, arms and armor, horse trappings like an ornamental pony cap from Scotland, chariot components, feasting equipment, religious items, and more. Many pieces are on loan from museums in France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Britain, Ireland, as well as local institutions such as the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Laure Marest, Damarete Associate Curator of Ancient Coins at Harvard Art Museums said: “History is written by the winners.” She noted that while Greek and Roman art has long been revered by Western audiences for its realism and themes drawn from mythology or daily life, Celtic art stands out for its abstraction and ornamentation. “The art they produce is actually surprisingly modern in some ways,” she said.
Penny Coombe, Kelekian Curatorial Fellow in Ancient Art at Harvard Art Museums added: “We’re deliberately trying to separate the clichés about Celts from art that has been called Celtic.” Coombe also reflected on how the term ‘Celtic’ has evolved over time: “This term Celtic has endured for nearly 3,000 years… What does relate all these very different artifacts to one another and is that a real relationship? How is this term repurposed and reused in different ways at different times?”
Ebbinghaus emphasized that many ancient populations referred to today as Celts were not homogeneous but instead represented diverse groups with their own names and cultures. She said: “Most of the ancient inhabitants of central and western Europe are unlikely to have considered themselves Celts.”
“Celtic Art Across the Ages” will run from March 6 through August 2 at Harvard Art Museums. The exhibit includes a print catalog with essays by international specialists as well as public programming such as film screenings and poetry readings. Admission is free.
