Due to the coronavirus lock down in Italy, the opening of this exhibition and the opening-day symposium have been postponed. The new opening date: TBD. In the meantime, keep well and keep safe.

This exhibition reveals how, before Mount Vesuvius blew up in AD 79 and rocked the Bay of Naples, people in Pompeii and nearby farms and villages were engaged in typical daily activities, many of which revolved around food and drink. Thousands were killed in the midst of their daily routines. The swiftness of the eruption and the depth of the volcanic cover of pumice and hot ash preserved the buried ruins, creating a time capsule that left the city of Pompeii virtually intact. Its rediscovery gives us a picture of what life was like in a thriving Roman city.

Antiquities on view in the exhibition run the gamut from luxury furnishings and tableware of precious metal; mosaics and frescoes; and marble and bronze sculpture decorating the home, to carbonized foodstuffs laid on the table. Together the objects open a vista onto the splendor and luxury loved by the wealthy Romans who called Pompeii their homes.

Most of the works in this presentation have never before left Italy. This exhibition is organized by the Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, in collaboration with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Presenting Sponsors

John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn

Clare C. McEvoy Charitable Remainder Unitrust and Jay D. McEvoy Trust

Diane B. Wilsey

Significant Support

Ruddock Foundation for the Arts

Generous Support

Iris S. Chan and Dr. Michael Chan

Additional support is provided by Bernard and Jane von Bothmer in honor of Dr. Dietrich von Bothmer; Elizabeth D. Moyer, PhD, and MichaelC. Powanda, PhD; Sheila Wishek; and the Ancient Art Council of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

For tickets information, please visit: https://legionofhonor.famsf.org/exhibitions/pompeii.

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