The Harvard Art Museums have launched "Celtic Art Across the Ages," the first major exhibition of its kind in the United States. Spanning over 2,500 years, the show features nearly 300 objects including ceremonial pony caps, banqueting vessels, and jewelry crafted from amber and jet. The exhibition is organized into four thematic sections—Archaeology, Art, Encounters, and Reception—highlighting the functional nature of these highly decorative objects and their roles in trade and daily life from the first millennium BCE to the present.
This exhibition is significant for its attempt to deconstruct the complex identity of the "Celts," moving beyond romanticized myths to examine how the term was constructed by classical Greeks and Romans and later revived by 19th-century linguists and artists. By juxtaposing ancient archaeological fragments with later artistic interpretations, such as a 19th-century cast of "The Dying Gaul," the curators explore how Celtic culture has been continuously reimagined and used as a shorthand for diverse artistic traditions across European history.