Myth & Marble: Masterpieces of Ancient Roman Sculpture

Join us for a talk by Dr. Dustin Gish on the magnificent Torlonia Marbles, part of the largest private collection of ancient statues in the world. Collected by the Torlonia family over three centuries and comprising over six hundred works of sculpture, this collection is rarely seen in person. The Torlonia Collection in Rome, on display in the 19th century, has been closed to the public for almost a century—from the onset of World War II until 2020. This year, however, the marbles make their way to the United States for the first time, and they’re coming to only two locations: The Art Institute of Chicago and the Kimbell Art Museum of Fort Worth.

About the Presenter

Dr. Dustin Gish is a Professor of Humanities and Political Philosophy in the Honors College at the University of Houston, where he has taught courses in political theory, philosophy, and literature since 2014. He received his interdisciplinary Ph.D. from the Institute of Philosophic Studies at the University of Dallas, and his M.A. in Liberal Education from St. John’s College (SF). For a decade, Dr. Gish lived in Rome, Italy, and taught courses there at two American universities focused on ancient Roman civilization as well as on the art, history, and philosophy of the Italian Renaissance. He has published extensively on the plays of Shakespeare, Thomas Jefferson and the American Founding, Xenophon's Socrates, and the visual rhetoric of Italian civic republicanism.

When: Tuesday, August 26, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Where: Italian Cultural & Community Center, 1101 Milford Street, Houston, TX 77006

Price: $10 ICCC Members | $15 General Admission

Please note: tickets for this event are nonrefundable. If you are unable to attend, you may transfer your ticket to a friend.

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This program is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance.

Original image credit to Mark Landon / Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons 4.0.

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