Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times

Statue of Trajan (detail), Minturno, Italy, 2nd century, marble, National Archaeological Museum, Naples.

The first major exhibition in the United States dedicated to the times of Trajan, Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and His Times explores the remarkable impact on art and culture of his nearly 20-year reign at the turn of the second century AD. The works on view tell the many stories—cultural, social, political, and economic—of life in Rome at that time, immersing visitors in the majesty of Trajan’s world.

Among the highlights are rarely displayed marble portrait busts and statues of the men and women who shaped the Roman world of Trajan’s dynasty, as well as vivid frescoes and ornate furnishings from Roman villas. Lending historical and visual context to these remarkable artworks is a re-creation of a section of Trajan’s Column—a towering pillar with a spiraling narrative frieze that is one of the few monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome.