SAINT LOUIS, MO.- The Saint Louis Art Museum announces its September seminar series, "The Allure of Antiquity: European Artists Inspired by Ancient Rome," with Judith Mann, curator of European art to 1800; Bill Appleton, assistant director for public programs and education; Andrew Walker, assistant director for curatorial affairs and curator of American art; and Cynthia Stollhans, associate professor of art history at Saint Louis University.

The antique past has always held a particular fascination for painters and sculptors. Even ancient Roman artists looked back to Greek artists, imitating their styles and copying individual pieces. The interest in antiquity peaked during later periods, most notably the Renaissance as well as the 18th and 19th centuries.

This class will use as its jumping off point the Museum's exhibition Reviving Antiquity: Artists and Their Study of Ancient Rome, which highlights the interest of 18th- and 19th-century painters and sculptors in the art of ancient Rome. It will trace the significance and styles of classical Greek and Roman art to the later artists and art movements that were influenced by them.

The series runs each Thursday in September from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm and is held in the Museum's Friends Room. Each session will be hosted by a different speaker beginning with Cynthia Stollhans, associate professor of art history Saint Louis University at Saint Louis University on September 3; Bill Appleton, assistant director for public programs and education on September 10; Judith Mann, curator of European art to 1800 on September 17; and Andrew Walker, curator of American art on September 24.)

Class size is limited to 20 participants and costs $80 ($50 Members). To register, please call 314.655.5298.