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Museum, 1972

This article is part of From the Vaults, a series that shines a light on the Museum’s audiovisual archive.

What’s life like behind the scenes at a museum? This fascinating cinéma vérité documentary offers a rare glimpse at the inner workings of several North American institutions, providing viewers with the unique opportunity to eavesdrop on conversations around special exhibitions, scientific research, and educational programming. Follow the conservation of a Kanaga mask at the National Museum of African Art in Washington, D.C.; the replication of a dinosaur skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History in New York; a scientific study of Botticelli’s “The Virgin and Child” (c. 1490) at the Fogg Museum at Harvard University; and preparation for the blockbuster exhibition “Treasures of Tutankhamun” that shattered records at The Met in 1978.


Rows and rows of freshly made pieces of Japanese pottery.
Video
In this mesmerizing short film about Japanese pottery and porcelain, the human hand and machine work in harmony. Follow the creative process from start to finish—gathering and preparing raw clay, wedging, throwing, firing, glazing, and later presenting finished work in the showroom.
March 25, 2022
A group of men in historical military uniforms aim rifles in an art studio with paintings in the background.
Video
May 20, 2022