How many of the artworks being made today will stand the test of time and still be appreciated more than 2,000 years in the future — as the sculptures in "The Body Beautiful in Ancient Greece" exhibition are today? I would say almost none, because, rather than seeking beauty, modern artists are more concerned with novelty, irony, "contemporary relevance," and shock value.

Not so with the ancient Greeks, as the show at the National Museum of Western Art reveals. The main masterpieces of the show, such as the "Marble statue of a discus thrower (diskobolos)" and "Parian marble statue of Aphrodite" — both Roman-period copies of earlier Greek statues — are works that are infused with a sense of divine perfection that transcends their minor imperfections.

The original of the "discus thrower" was by the fifth-century B.C. Athenian sculptor Myron, famous in antiquity for his daring yet balanced compositions. Perhaps because it is a copy, or possibly because Myron wished to emphasize overall harmony, some critics have found fault with the musculature, which seems to be rather too relaxed in places. Also, the facial expression is said to be rather bland and emotionless. The biggest flaw, however, can't be blamed on Myron or his copiers. Rather it is the fault of the restorers who repaired the statue after it was excavated from the site of the Emperor Hadrian's villa at Tivoli in 1790. When they placed the head back on the torso, they positioned facing in the wrong direction!