Meet Artist Peter Hristoff

Say hello to Peter if you see him in the Museum. Photograph by Nada Mohammed

«Artists often come to the Museum to look at art and get ideas for their own work, and sometimes they have an opportunity to do much more; Peter Hristoff is one of those artists. »

The Met invited Peter to be an "artist in residence" at the Museum for fifteen months, through June 2016. What this means is that Peter is spending a lot of time in our galleries, libraries, and offices, learning about the Met and studying works of art in the collection. He is also collaborating with staff to create programs such as drawing workshops for people like you and for other kinds of visitors. As you can read about here, he is also getting lots of inspiration for his own paintings, drawings, and projects.

Jackie Terrassa: Did you always want to be an artist?

Peter Hristoff: Yes, for as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be an artist. When my family came to New York, I couldn't speak English, so I communicated with drawings in school. Both my grandfather and father were painters.

Peter Hristoff (American, born 1958). Untitled (Study for "Heroes"), 2014. Mixed media on panel; 14 x 11 in. Courtesy of Peter Hristoff

Jackie Terrassa: Where do you get your ideas?

Peter Hristoff: From nature, from people, from the news, from other works of art, and from music. I've made paintings based on the lyrics of a song and paintings based on current events. As artists, we can make work about anything we want—absolutely anything and everything!

Jackie Terrassa: You are the artist in residence at the Met. Does that mean you live at the Met?

Peter Hristoff: No, although that would be a lot of fun. As artist in residence, I get unlimited access to the Museum, the staff, and the Met community to create new programs and events for people like you. I also get to use the Museum as a resource for my work. In other words, I get ideas from what I see. You, too, can do that.

Quick ink sketches by Peter, resting on the floor of his studio. Photograph courtesy of Peter Hristoff

Jackie Terrassa: What do you do when you come to the Museum?

Peter Hristoff: During each visit, I try to complete a thirty-two-page sketchbook with images of whatever I am looking at that day. I also try to make connections between the works I am seeing and the works I've seen on prior visits. For example, I may notice how some of the ancient Greek and ancient Egyptian sculptures look very much alike. I ask myself: Why is that? How did that happen? Then I do my homework and research for answers.

Jackie Terrassa: If you could take home one work of art from the Met, which would you pick?

Peter Hristoff: Well, I have always loved the huge marble column from the ancient city of Sardis, because it represents the grandeur that humans are capable of. But I don't think it would fit in my apartment, so I'll settle for a painting by Vermeer, El Greco, or Cranach the Elder.

Marble column from the Temple of Artemis at Sardis, ca. 300 B.C. Greek, Hellenistic. Marble; H. 142 1/8 in. (361 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of The American Society for the Excavation of Sardis, 1926 (26.59.1)

Jackie Terrassa: There are a lot of animals in your art. Do you have a pet?

Peter Hristoff: No real pets, but I have a whole bunch of them in my imagination—birds, horses, goats, dogs, camels—all trying to get out and into my paintings and drawings.

Peter Hristoff (American, born 1958). /Scary Tiles/, 2015. Mixed media on paper; 7 x 7 in. Courtesy of Peter Hristoff

Jackie Terrassa: What tips do you have for kids who want to become artists?

Peter Hristoff: Draw all of the time. Read. Cultivate your imagination. Erase the word "boredom" from your vocabulary. Artists are never bored. Everything is fascinating.

#MetKids will be able to draw with Peter this spring when he teaches a free Drop-in Drawing workshop for kids, teens, and grown-ups on Friday, April 15, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Or just come to the Museum and stay alert—you might just bump into Peter teaching and drawing!