Tickets
English
DonateMembership
Tickets

Definitions

Julia Weist American
2020
Not on view
In 2019 Weist was commissioned by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs to create a public artwork inspired by the city’s Municipal Archives. During a year-long residency within the Department of Records and Information Services, she created the Public Record, a series of eleven photographs that explore the government’s relationship with artists over the past century, focusing on criteria for evaluating art, surveillance of individual artists, and notes on the role of artists in civic life.

Definitions is an assemblage of records from city government agencies that attempt to define the terms “art,” “artist,” and “artwork.” Tucked among pink record retrieval request forms submitted by the artist, the definitions range from the poetic to the absurd, offering an enlightening view of the intersections between art and civic bureaucracy.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Definitions
  • Artist: Julia Weist (American, born New York, 1984)
  • Date: 2020
  • Medium: Inkjet print
  • Dimensions: Image: 28 3/4 × 38 13/16 in. (73 × 98.6 cm)
    Frame: 29 5/8 × 39 13/16 in. (75.2 × 101.1 cm)
  • Classification: Photographs
  • Credit Line: Gift of Seth Stolbun Collection, Stolbun Collection LLC, and the artist, in honor of Eric "Vietnam" Sadler, 2022
  • Object Number: 2022.127
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Julia Weist
  • Curatorial Department: Photographs

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Déaxitchish / Pretty Eagle from 1880 Crow Peace Delegation, Wendy Red Star American, Inkjet print of artist-manipulated digitally reproduced photograph
Déaxitchish / Pretty Eagle from 1880 Crow Peace Delegation
Wendy Red Star
2014
Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
Meta Overbeck
Louis C. Tiffany
Manufacturer Tiffany & Co.
ca. 1914–15
Bounded by Mountains: Mount Hua, Michael Cherney American, Photographic album of twelve leaves; inkjet print on mica-flecked paper, China
Bounded by Mountains: Mount Hua
Michael Cherney
2005–6
Bowl, Blown and cut glass, American
Bowl
American
1895–1910

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.