NEW YORK – The Hellenic-American Cultural Foundation (HACF) hosts its latest event at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 W 67th Street in Manhattan, on February 21, 7 PM with Kiki Karoglou, Associate Curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, presenting the exhibit she curated, Dangerous Beauty: Medusa in Classical Art. The exhibit, originally on view at The Met until January 6, has been extended through February 24.

Beginning in the fifth century B.C., Medusa — the serpentine-haired Gorgon whose gaze turned men to stone — became increasingly anthropomorphic and feminine, undergoing a visual transformation from grotesque to beautiful. A similar shift in representations of other mythical female half-human beings, such as sphinxes, sirens, and the sea monster Scylla — took place at the same time. Featuring sixty artworks, primarily from The Met collection, this exhibition explores for the first time how the beautification of these terrifying figures manifested the idealizing humanism of Classical Greek art, and traces their enduring appeal in both Roman and later Western art. The Winter 2018 issue of the Met Bulletin was devoted entirely to this exhibit.

A reception with Kiki Karoglou will follow the program.

Please note, only registered attendees will be admitted to this event. No walk-ins will be permitted.

Due to the overwhelming number of acceptances to attend the “Dangerous Beauty” event, it was relocated to the Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Music Center in order to accommodate more attendees.

Please note, however, interested persons will now need reserved tickets (at no charge). For those who have already responded that they will attend, do not have to do anything further, as the tickets in your name will be held at the box office at Merkin Hall.

For those who have not yet responded and wish to attend, please reserve your ticket online or by contacting the ticket office at Merkin Hall, 212-501-3330.

In the past, HACF has had a substantial number of people reserve places but ultimately not show up for the event. This creates a serious problem for planning for attendance numbers and the reception. HACF asks that if you realize you will be unable to attend, to please let them know as soon as possible prior to the date of the event, to avoid foreclosing others’ ability to attend.

The Hellenic-American Cultural Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, was established to promote high quality and relevant educational and cultural programs, concerts, lectures, exhibitions, and similar events for all persons interested in the history, culture and affairs of Greece and its people and the Greek Diaspora.

More information is available online: hacfoundation.org.