Smithsonian Associates, Washington DC. Italian Olive Oil: From Sacred Grove to Contemporary Art Afternoon Lecture/Seminar - May 19, 2022

Smithsonian Associates, Washington DC.

Italian Olive Oil: From Sacred Grove to Contemporary Art

Afternoon Lecture/Seminar

Thursday, May 19, 2022 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

 Code: 1J0171

Olive trees, their branches, and their fruit have been featured in the art of the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Depicted in many artistic media and presented in culinary records over the millennia, olive oil has long been seen as a mythic and prized substance.

A recent collaboration among Agricola Due Leoni, an Italian organic olive oil farm; an emerging star of the Italian art world; and a leading American distributor of fine Italian foods produced a specially commissioned olive oil edition, with a tin depicting the branches of the Carboncella olive tree in full fruity splendor.

Join Italian artist Francesco Ciavaglioli, Rome-based curator Cornelia Lauf, and Luanne Savino O’Loughlin, an importer and retailer for Olio2Go, as they showcase the ancient bonds between agriculture and art in a lively visual journey that engages the senses.

Ciavaglioli illustrates how botanical studies and a lyrical approach to nature function as both art and the conveyor of ancient traditions. O'Loughlin discusses the impact of visual display in the international economy of food products and offers a brief olive oil tasting lesson. Lauf traces the representation of olives and their harvest from ancient wall paintings to contemporary art.

To participate follow the information at the link: www.smithsonianassociates.org.

This program is part of Smithsonian Associates Streaming series.