Ancient Idols in the press...

http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/f...6005617r1.html

Here is the text from businesswire.com at Forbes.com:



Ancient ``Idols'' Poised to Mesmerize Manhattan after Successful Showing in

Geneva; Tribune de Geneve Calls Collection ``Sumptuous''

11.16.04, 9:09 AM ET

Phoenix Ancient Art's Dazzling Devotionals Invoke the Dawn of History

Phoenix Ancient Art, one of the world's leading dealers in rare and

exquisite antiquities from Western civilizations, today announced that its

exposition, "Idols," and Mediterranean Cult Objects will be unveiled at its

New York City gallery on December 9, 2004, and will remain on view until

January 27, 2005. Admittance to the exposition is open to the public during

this time from Tuesday through Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and on

Mondays and Saturdays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The gallery is located at

47 E. 66th Street.

The exhibit is coming to New York after an extremely successful showing in

Phoenix Ancient Art's gallery in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 1- 29 of

this year. Etienne Dumont noted in the Tribune de Geneve of October 1, 2004,

"The kinship with the quest of modern art is striking. That elongated head

evokes some Modigliani sculptures; that other one, with the arched eyebrows,

is reminiscent of Paul Klee. For that matter, the collectors are often the

same people."

The objects--which hail from modern-day Syria, Sardinia, Turkey, Northern

Greece, the Balkans, the Cycladic Islands, Egypt and the Iberian

Peninsula--span the millennia of prehistory through the Ancient Bronze Age,

from 6,000 B.C. to 2,000 B.C. While some pieces are schematic and

abstracted, others are anthropomorphic and even wildly voluptuous. They are

fashioned from a wide array of materials, including terra cotta, white

marble and gold.

"The fact that these works of art can still resonate with us after thousands

of years is astounding, especially given the fact that they were created by

technologically primitive and often pre-literate societies," said Hicham

Aboutaam, Phoenix Ancient Art's co-founder.

"The sculptures and figurines that fascinated our ancestors at the dawn of

civilization served some sort of devotional purpose, and they continue to

captivate us even today as objects of pure beauty and as testimony to human

history. In that sense, they inspire and enrich us spiritually," he added.

In Geneva, visitors were struck by the artistic sophistication of the

pieces, many of which are surprisingly current in their aesthetic. Ali

Aboutaam, Phoenix Ancient Art, president and co-founder, described the

exhibition as consisting of "powerful forms, mainly in stone, created by

deeply religious people in search of their god. Starting in the 7th

millennium B.C., they unknowingly perhaps created the essence of Western

Civilization, which echoes up to modern day art."

Given that the creators of these archaic objects left no written records as

to their designated purpose, the term "idol" is used as a scholarly

convention. It is widely believed, however, that they were used in funerary,

magico-religious and/or fertility rites and rituals.

The objects vary in appearance and construction materials, which correlate

with their culture and place of origin. For example, many pieces from modern

Turkey and northern Syria use a wide variety of materials and are concerned

with the wealth of the harvest, the flocks and the society's women. The

female statuettes tend to be rounded, even obese, and are termed

"steatopygic," meaning "of large buttocks" and document the importance of

women in this society.

Pieces from Northern Greece and the Balkans tend to include objects

fashioned from sheet gold and suggest a hierarchical society dominated by

princes. Their use of copper suggests contacts with central and eastern

Mediterranean cultures. Artifacts from the Iberian Peninsula tend to be

anthropomorphic and display incised decoration indicating hair, eyes and

undulating lines that some scholars have interpreted to be tattoos.

The works of art at this exposition cover a wide price range, from $950 to a

select number of pieces valued at several million dollars. Contact Phoenix

Ancient Art at (212) 258-5458.

ABOUT PHOENIX ANCIENT ART

With galleries in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland, Phoenix Ancient Art

is one of the world's leading dealers in rare and exquisite antiquities from

cultures that make up the essence of Western Civilization. Its works of art

have been purchased by world-class museums around the world, as well as by

private individuals. Formally incorporated in 1995, Phoenix Ancient Art in a

second-generation family business that was founded by Sleiman Aboutaam in

1968 and continues today under the leadership of his sons, Hicham and Ali.

For further information, please visit: www.phoenixancientart.com.

Editor's Note: To view and download photos, go to:

http://www.phoenixancientart.com/idols/index.html

End of article

For information, contact "Hicham Aboutaam" at Phoenix Ancient Art at

http://www.phoenixancientart.com/con...ncientart.html