Flying Too Close to the Sun: Myths in Art from Classical to Contemporary

The first major survey to reveal the ways in which Classical mythology has inspired art throughout the last 2,500 years

From the films of Woody Allen and the Coen Brothers to Margaret Atwood's books and Arcade Fire's songs, Classical Greek and Roman myths continue to be a source of cultural inspiration. The struggles of heroes, both triumphant and tragic, with gods, monsters, and fate, exert a particular grip on our imagination. Visual artists have long expressed and reworked these foundational stories. This is the first book to unite myth-inspired artworks by ancient, modern, and contemporary artists, from Botticelli and Caravaggio to Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst.

James Cahill is an expert on the influence of Classical antiquity on contemporary art. He has curated exhibitions combining contemporary art and ancient objects at BREESE LITTLE, London (2015) and the Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge (2016). Other contributors include Richard Shone, former Editor of The Burlington Magazine, and Helen Luckett, former Curator at the Hayward Gallery, London.