Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and his Times, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Houston may not be the prettiest city in the country, but its art and cultural scene is world class. I didn’t appreciate this when I lived here, but having visited many cities, I remain impressed with Houston’s investment in art and culture. The epicenter for art and history can be found in Houston’s museum district. With ~19 museums and galleries in a two mile radius there is something for everyone here.

One of the flagship museums is the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.   It has an excellent permanent collection and great temporary exhibits.

I was looking forward to the current exhibit at MFAH Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and his Times. I love Roman history (I studied it in college), so this is totally my jam. The Trajan era is considered the height of the Roman Empire. Rome had the most territory and Trajan, a soldier-emperor, was second of the five “good emperors” i.e. merit based and competent, and the first emperor born outside of Italy. This era was known for its stability and prosperity.

This exhibit has ~160 artifacts, most on loan from museums in Italy and some in the US for the first time. The exhibit aims to show not only life in Imperial Rome but to also explore how art was used to promote the emperor’s values.    The exhibit had rooms based on different subjects:  the emperors and their families, gardens, religion, women, etc. I’ve been to many, many Roman artifact museums, so while there wasn’t really anything new, I liked the curation and layout of this exhibit (and the accompanying audio guide.) I particularly liked the statues of the women in Rome, especially the mysterious Vibia Sabina, Hadrian’s wife, and Plotina, wife of Trajan.  I, of course, loved any animals, especially the sculpture of two dogs, having a cute moment while on a work-break. I could imagine having such a sculpture in my own house, except cats of course. But loving animals is a human trait across the centuries.  Some things never change! And I had to laugh at the banquet scene fresco where the guest being sick is from and center, LOL! Way before cell phones, even the ancient Romans would immortalize embarrassing pictures of families and friends!

The last room of the exhibit is a recreation of a portion of Trajan’s column. This ancient monument is in Rome and not something that can be transported. This recreation is a creative way to highlight something essential to Trajan.

Art and Life in Imperial Rome: Trajan and his Times is on view at MFAH until January 25.