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This 3,000-year-old Olmec face was made to last. What can we learn from it?

"Being able to recognize a face is one of those fundamental survival skills."
Joanne Pillsbury
2 min. watch

"Being able to recognize a face is one of those fundamental survival skills."

Curator Joanne Pillsbury on an Olmec mask.

Explore this object:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/310279

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world. Each episode is interpreted by a Museum photographer.

Photography by Oi-Cheong Lee

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Contributors

Joanne Pillsbury
Andrall E. Pearson Curator, The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Art Mentioned

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Face, Olmec artist(s), Jadeite, Olmec
Face
Olmec artist(s)
900–400 BCE