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This season's offerings convey the remarkable diversity of the Metropolitan Museum's exhibition program, maximizing opportunities that could only present themselves at an institution such as the Met. The first of these exhibitions, "Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum," is a superb example of how collegiality among cultural institutions can benefit the greater public. The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, home to one of the world's finest collections of European decorative arts, is currently embarking on the construction of new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries. Since those galleries will be closed to visitors until their completion in fall 2009, thirty-five of the V&A's seldom-lent masterpieces—sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, and glass dating from 300 to 1600—will be displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art beginning May 20. These mostly small-scale works of art are highly prized for their beauty, the preciousness of their materials, and the exquisite workmanship that marks their creation. We offer warm thanks to The David Berg Foundation for making this exhibition possible, as well as to the Victoria and Albert Museum for giving the Metropolitan the privilege of presenting its splendid works, most of them never before on view in New York. The Metropolitan is also in the fortunate position to create special exhibitions by drawing on its own vast permanent collection. Such is the case with "Framing a Century: Master Photographers, 1840–1940," which recounts the first century of the medium through works by thirteen pivotal figures in the field. Some one dozen photographs by each artist are on view, ranging from beautifully preserved depictions of architecture and landscape by Roger Fenton and Gustave Le Gray, to masterful portraits by Julia Margaret Cameron and Nadar, to examples by Man Ray and Henri Cartier-Bresson, who transformed photography into a modern visual language. Many of these influential works are from the acclaimed Gilman Collection, which was acquired by the Museum in 2005. An entirely different type of exhibition, one that delves into the fascinating relationship between fashion and popular culture—in the process, tackling such topics as identity, sexuality, and nationalism—is "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy," opening at the Metropolitan on May 7. From the "S" chevron emblazoning Superman's chest to the postmodernism of Ghost Rider's Hells Angels garb, superhero imagery has suffused almost every aspect of contemporary culture. This exhibition features some seventy examples of movie costumes, avant-garde haute couture, high-performance sportswear, and other ensembles to reveal how the superhero serves as the ultimate metaphor for the ability of fashion to empower and transform the human body. We are deeply grateful to Giorgio Armani and Condé Nast for making possible this intriguing exploration. And this year, thanks to the support of Bloomberg as well as Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky, works by the contemporary artist Jeff Koons are installed on The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden ("Jeff Koons on the Roof"). So come treat yourself to a cool beverage, a luxuriant view of Central Park, and an exceptional variety of special exhibitions in the galleries of the Metropolitan Museum this season. 
Philippe de Montebello |
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