SINGAPORE: History buffs and art lovers are in for a rare treat as the National Museum of Singapore presents a collection of 130 priceless Classical Greek and Hellenistic artefacts from the renowned Musée du Louvre of France.

For over two centuries, the Louvre Museum has been an inspiration and guardian of civilisations. It is one of the most visited art museums in the world, with 8.3 million visitors last year - 600,000 from Asia alone.

But for the next three months, those who haven't had the chance to visit the museum can do so right here in Singapore, even if it's just a small portion what the Louvre has to offer.

The Louvre boasts a total of about 45,000 Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities, and rarely loans out more than a dozen items at any one time.

However, due to extensive refurbishment to the section containing its Classical Greek and Hellenistic collection, the museum has picked 130 pieces for an exhibition tour.

The exhibition first travelled to Japan and Beijing, and after Singapore, the ancient Greeks will continue to Macau and then back to France. The Louvre has said that the artefacts may not move out of the museum again.

Greek artefacts on display in the National Museum include large free-standing sculptures, heads and busts, vases and vessels, and ornaments and instruments made from marble, terracotta, gold, silver and bronze dating back to as early as 5th century BCE to 1st century CE.

Unlike Louvre, where the exhibits are arranged according to their materials, the 130 pieces in the National Museum will be arranged according to four categories.

The National Museum said that the precise arrangement will allow visitors to better appreciate not just the stunning artwork and craftsmanship, but also to better understand life in ancient Greece.

The first section brings to life the story of Athens in the fifth and fourth centuries BCE, depicting its founding myths and featuring leading political and philosophical figures such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

The second section allows visitors to immerse in an ancient Greek's way of life with artefacts and vase paintings on age and gender differences, leisure activities and even the way the ancient Greeks drank their wines.

The third section emphasises on 'Agon' - meaning the spirit of competition - tracing the beginning of what is known today as the Olympics.

The final section, expected to be a major show-stopper, features larger-than-life sculptures of Greek gods and goddesses. Religion played an important part in ancient Greeks' society and culture, and was a predominant form of early paganism.

One of the largest sculptures in the collection is that of Venus d'Arles, at a towering height of 2.2 metres and weighing over 450 kilograms.

Expect to see other famous pieces like the Apollo Sauroctonos, the Borghese Ares and the Kaufmann Head.

Apart from these 2000-year-old still-artefacts, the National Museum also has plans to bring in an element of interaction to visitors.

Volunteer guides speaking in English, Mandarin and Japanese will guide visitors through the Museum at selected times.

The Museum has also arranged for performances, plays, readings, lectures, screenings and costume-trying for the visitors in conjunction with the exhibition.

The National Museum of Singapore is the sole location in Southeast Asia for these Greek masterpieces from the Louvre.

Musée du Louvre director, Henri Loyrette, said that the 120-year-old newly-renovated National Museum has been chosen not just because of its ability to house the artefacts in a secure environment, but also because Singapore is seen as a art hub in Asia and the Louvre hopes to be able to reach out to Asians through this exhibition.

"I hope that this special exhibition, by its breadth and by the quality of the objects on display, will shed new light for the Singaporean public on one of the most ancient and most beautiful of all human civilisations," he continued to say.

Szan Tan, the curator for the National Museum, said that the Museum has brought in the exhibition for Singaporeans and those around the region to better understand the how Ancient Greece, seemingly far removed from the modern world, actually played a huge apart in shaping the world today.

"You might think that the Greek gods are so far removed from us but they are not. This is prior to Christianity. This was the cradle of western civilisation.

"A lot of these trace the beginning of the Western civilisation – politics, philosophy, thoughts, concept of citizen, concept of competitive, concept of the city state, etc. You may not notice it but it's here in our everyday life. One good example is the Olympics."

For safety purposes, for both the public as well as the timeless classics, photo-taking is not allowed.

However, the public can take a piece of the Louvre exhibition home, not literally, by purchasing a copy of the 140-page full-colour catalogue for Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre.

The exhibition will last until 16 March 2008.

-CNA/yb