Mission

If the treasures of the past intrigue you, you will enjoy the Ancient Art Council. Membership is open to all who share a concern for perpetuating, safeguarding, and understanding ancient art and culture in the Mediterranean basin. Its main mission is to support and benefit the Ancient Art Department at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and its collection, on view in the Legion of Honor. Your involvement through membership, gifts, bequests, donations, and fund-raising efforts will help the acquisition of art, special projects, exhibitions, and publications.

 

The Ancient Art Council, founded in 1997 as the Ancient Hellenic Arts Council, owes its inception to the encouragement of the Elios Society, a Company of Friends for Hellenic Culture (http://www.elios.org). With its own members’ endorsement and continued support, the art council became viable as an educational entity. After a decade of successful programs and membership recruitment, it officially changed its name to Ancient Art Council in 2006. While the mission of the organization remains unchanged, the new designation befits the scope and purpose of its diverse programs, which includes ancient art, history, literature, and cultures throughout the ancient Mediterranean world. The Ancient Art collection covers over 6,000 years of art, spanning Egypt, the Near East, Greece and Rome, early Christian, and Islamic cultures.