Philippe de Montebello Years Exhibition Feed

Mangaaka Power Figure

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Mangaaka Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi)
Democratic Republic of Congo or Angola, Chiloango River Region; Kongo; second half of the 19th century
Wood, paint, metal, resin, ceramic; H. 46 7/16 in. (118.0 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace, Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Laura G. and James J. Ross, Jeffrey B. Soref, The Robert T. Wall Family, Dr. and Mrs. Sidney G. Clyman, and Steven Kossak Gifts, 2008 (2008.30)

Alisa LaGamma and Philippe de Montebello discuss the original form and function of this arresting sculpture from Central Africa.

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High School Intern Episode: The Living Museum

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500

This special episode, produced by participants in the summer 2008 High School Internship Program, presents the Museum as a constantly evolving place, full of wonderful surprises.

A Magisterial Portrait: Rubens, His Wife, Helena Fourment, and One of Their Children

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640)
Rubens, His Wife, Helena Fourment, and One of Their Children
Oil on wood; 80 1/4 x 62 1/4 in. (203.8 x 158.1 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman, in honor of Sir John Pope-Hennessy, 1981 (1981.238)

Curator Everett Fahy describes this intimate masterpiece by Peter Paul Rubens—and its acquisition by the Met—in a conversation with Philippe de Montebello.

An Inside Look, Part 5

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Melinda Watt, Assistant Curator in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, suggested the inclusion of two wall panels, ca. 1799, from Lyon, France, in the exhibition “The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions.” Along with Florica Zaharia, Conservator in Charge, and Christina Carr, Associate Conservator, Textile Conservation, she discusses the unusually pristine condition of these works of art. An hour-long documentary on the making of the exhibition will be aired as part of the public television series Great Museums, which produced this webisode.

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Episode for Families: The Boyhood of Lord Krishna

Mon, 5 Jan 2009 08:00:00 -0500


Krishna's Foster-Mother, Yashoda, with the Infant Krishna, Chola period, early 12th century. India (Tamil Nadu). Copper alloy; H. 13 1/8 in. (33.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Lita Annenberg Hazen Charitable Trust Gift, in honor of Cynthia Hazen and Leon B. Polsky, 1982 (1982.220.8).		Krishna Killing the Horse Demon Keshi, Gupta period, 5th century. India (Uttar Pradesh). Terracotta; H. 21 in. (53.3 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1991 (1991.300).

In this Story Time at the Met episode, Philippe de Montebello recounts the story of the boyhood of Krishna, a sacred tale from the Hindu tradition.

An Inside Look, Part 4

Tue, 30 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

George Goldner, Drue Heinz Chairman for the Department of Drawings and Prints, and Marjorie Shelley, Sherman Fairchild Conservator in Charge of Paper Conservation, discuss the conservation techniques applied to two works on paper. Both works—Bernard van Orly’s Otto, Count of Nassau, and His Wife, Adelheid van Vianen, ca. 1530, and Francesco Salviati’s Saint John the Evangelist, 1548–49, are part of the exhibition “The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions.” An hour-long documentary on the making of the exhibition will be aired as part of the public television series Great Museums, which produced this webisode.

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Striding Horned Demon

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Striding Horned Demon
Mesopotamia or Iran, ca. 3000 B.C..
Arsenical copper; H. 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2007 (2007.280)

Curator Joan Aruz discusses the dual nature of this small but exquisite example of ancient Near Eastern art, as well as the process behind its acquisition, with Philippe de Montebello.

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Onésipe Aguado's Woman Seen from the Back

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Onésipe Aguado (French, 1827–1894)
Woman Seen from the Back, ca. 1862
Salted paper print from glass negative; 12 1/8 x 10 3/16 in. (30.8 x 25.8 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gilman Collection, Purchase, Joyce F. Menschel Gift, 2005 (2005.100.1)

Philippe de Montebello speaks with curator Malcolm Daniel about Onésipe Aguado's mysterious photograph Woman Seen from the Back, which was acquired by the Museum as part of the remarkable Gilman Collection.

An Inside Look, Part 3

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Christine Paulocik, Conservator in The Costume Institute, prepares three costumes—a Madame Grès Evening Gown, ca. 1965, and two pieces by Paul Poiret, the “Irudrée” Evening Gown, 1992, and “Paris” Coat, 1919—for exhibition in “The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions.” An hour-long documentary on the making of the exhibition will be aired as part of the public television series Great Museums, which produced this webisode.

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Copyright © 2000–2008 The Metropolitan Museum of Art. All rights reserved.
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Center Table from Tula, Russia

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Center Table, ca. 1780–85
Imperial Armory, Tula, Russia
Steel, silver, gilded copper, gilded brass, basswood, mirror glass (replacement); 27 1/2 x 22 x 15 in. (70 x 56 x 38 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Annenberg Foundation Gift, 2002 (2002.115)

Philippe de Montebello and curator Ian Wardropper discuss the Museum's fortuitous acquisition of an exquisite table, which turned out to have a surprising provenance.

Episode for Families: Pan and Syrinx

Mon, 8 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Statue of Pan, 1st century a.d.
Roman
Marble; H. 26 5/8 in. (67.6 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Bothmer Purchase Fund, 1992 (1992.11.71)

In this Story Time at the Met episode, Philippe de Montebello describes the fantastic story of Pan and Syrinx from Ovid's Metamorphoses.

Egyptian Ritual Figure

Mon, 1 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Ritual Figure
Egyptian, 4th century B.C.–early Ptolemaic Period (380–246 B.C.)
Wood, formerly clad in lead sheet; H. 8 1/4 in. (21.0 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Anne and John V. Hansen Egyptian Purchase Fund, and Magda Saleh and Jack Josephson Gift, 2003 (2003.154)

Curator Dorothea Arnold and director Philippe de Montebello discuss a treasure from one of the peak periods of ancient Egyptian art.

Autograph Quilt

Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Adeline Harris Sears (American, 1839–1931)
Autograph Quilt, ca. 1856–63
Rhode Island
Silk with inked signatures; 77 x 80 in. (195.6 x 203.2 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, William Cullen Bryant Fellows Gifts, 1996 (1996.4)

Philippe de Montebello discusses a unique ninteenth-century American quilt with curator Amelia Peck.

Buddha Amoghasiddhi with Eight Bodhisattvas

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Buddha Amoghasiddhi with Eight Bodhisattvas, ca. 1200–1250
Tibet (Central regions)
Distemper on cloth; 27 1/8 x 21 1/4 in. (68.9 x 54 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Philanthropic Fund Gift, 1991 (1991.74)

Philippe de Montebello discusses a thirteenth-century Tibetan painting with curator Denise Leidy.

Episode for Families: The Twelve Huntsmen

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Set of Fifty-Two Playing Cards, ca. 1475
Southern Lowlands (Burgundian Territories)
Pasteboard with pen and ink, tempera, applied gold and silver; each ca. 5 7/8 x 2 5/8 in. (13.8 x 7.1 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Cloisters Collection, 1983 (1983.515.1–52)

Philippe de Montebello reads a classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, and relates it to a set of medieval playing cards from the Museum's collection.

Segovia's Guitar, made by Hermann Hauser

Mon, 3 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Hermann Hauser (German, 1882–1952)
Guitar, 1937
Made in Munich, Germany
Wood; L. 38 7/8 in. (97.7 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Emilita Segovia, Marquessa of Salobreña, 1986 (1986.353.1)

Philippe de Montebello discusses the special qualities of Andrés Segovia's principal guitar—made by Hermann Hauser—with curator Ken Moore.

Lucian Freud's Naked Man, Back View

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:02:14 -0400

Lucian Freud (British, b. Germany, 1922)
Naked Man, Back View, 1991–92
Oil on canvas; 72 1/4 x 54 1/8 in. (183.5 x 137.5 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1993 (1993.71)

Philippe de Montebello discusses Lucian Freud's startling painting Naked Man, Back View with curator Sabine Rewald.

Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Duccio di Buoninsegna (Italian, act. by 1278, d. 1318)
Madonna and Child, ca. 1295–1300
Tempera and gold on wood, with original engaged frame; 11 x 8 1/8 in. (28 x 20.8 cm)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Rogers Fund, Walter and Leonore Annenberg and The Annenberg Foundation Gift, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, Annette de la Renta Gift, Harris Brisbane Dick, Fletcher, Louis V. Bell, and Dodge Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, several members of The Chairman's Council Gifts, Elaine L. Rosenberg and Stephenson Family Foundation Gifts, 2003 Benefit Fund, and other gifts and funds from various donors, 2004 (2004.442)

Philippe de Montebello discusses Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child—one of the masterworks in the Museum's collection—with curator Keith Christiansen.