Athena Art Foundation Launch

To celebrate Athena’s official launch on 28 June 2021, it will host a lecture by one of its rustees, Professor Sussan Babaie, on some of the magnificent 16th century illuminated manuscripts of the Shahnama (Persian Book of Kings) which are currently on display at the Epic Iran exhibition at London’s V&A. Sussan’s talk will be followed by a short Q&A.

This month sees the launch of the Athena Art Foundation, a new venture that will harness twenty-first century digital technology to bring pre-modern art to a wider audience. One of its founders, Nicola Jennings, says ‘There is a huge interest in pre-modern art that is not being fully catered for the digital sphere at present. There are museum and specialist websites, but Athena will be offering something that does not exist right now, deftly eliding scholarship with entertainment, while also pursuing a mission to educate and explain.’

Pre-modern art encompasses all arts from around the world from antiquities to Impressionism. Jennings adds: ‘Through a variety of digital strategies, we will engage audiences with the world’s great artistic traditions, inviting people to discover and learn about works from across the centuries which continue to be as relevant now as when they were first produced. We passionately believe that looking closely at this art helps us to reflect on life today and imagine the world tomorrow.’

Jennings, Associate Lecturer at London’s Courtauld Institute of Art, will work with fellow founders, art historians Dr Irene Brooke, Loie de Vore and Amanda Bradley Petitgas, who is the chair of the board of trustees. Athena is already working with several major museums and educational establishments, including the National Portrait Gallery and the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and will be forging collaborative relationships both in the UK and internationally in the coming months.

Through its website, Athena, which is a not-for-profit organisation, will offer innovative virtual and in-person exhibitions, podcasts, experiences, events, publications, and courses relating to pre-modern art from around the world. It will also upload its own monthly podcasts with artists, collectors, scholars and curators and use Instagram and TikTok to engage with a wide audience.