(From DCist contributor Seth Thomas Pietras)

Whoever said art and foreign policy don’t overlap? For the 54th season, the National Gallery of Art presents the world renowned A.W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts, a series of six hour-long lectures taking place each Sunday beginning on April 10 going through May 15. This year’s lecturer will be Harvard professor Irene J. Winter, who will be presenting “Great Work”: Terms of Aesthetic Experience in Ancient Mesopotamia –- with discussions focusing on the art of the ancient Near East, i.e. Iraq.

Sounds dry? This won’t be. This is black-market material right here -– literally. After the fall of the Hussein regime in April 2003, the Iraqi National Museum was looted of its vast treasury of art, some of which dates back to the earliest signs of civilization. Such a loss is a complete disaster for the common heritage of all humans. As Prof. Winter wrote in a Post op/ed in 2003:

They represent ‘our’ heritage, to the extent that civilization as we know it began in the Tigris-Euphrates Valley, and to the extent that events recorded in the Old Testament, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike, are deeply rooted in Mesopotamia.

Yes, this sounds heavy; but while Prof. Winter will likely be using the forum to raise awareness, her lectures aim to educate about the idea of beauty in the ancient eye. And after a late Saturday night, the large, dark, cool theatre with comfy seats in the East Building is a perfect place to take it all in.