"Living with the Gods: Art, Beliefs, and Peoples", the book and the exhibition currently on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, looks at stories that we have told each other over the last 4,000 years, through works of art and scripture that were made to give them form and life. Both the works and stories arise from questions that humans have always asked themselves, as we try to make sense of our place in the world and in time. Often the narratives that answer these questions are religious, articulated through the presence and actions of a god, gods or spiritual teachers. And in almost every society, these stories are accompanied by objects made beautiful to help us deepen our inquiry and our reflection. They were created to help us live more closely with the gods, and to live better with each other.

About the speaker

Neil MacGregor is an art historian, author and advisor to the J. Paul Getty Foundation in LA and CSMVS, Mumbai. MacGregor has served as the Director of the National Gallery and the British Museum. At the end of 2021 he held the Chaire du Louvre at the Musée du Louvre in Paris, giving a series of public lectures about museums and their constantly changing relation to history and society. He has played a crucial role in the conceptualisation of the Ancient World Gallery project at the CSMVS. His most recent bestselling book, Living with the Gods, has been curated in 2024 into a compelling exhibition at the MoFA, Houston.