Billets
Français
Faire un donDevenir membreBillets
Nous travaillons à la traduction de cette page dès que possible. Merci de votre compréhension.
Four close-up objects in a grid. From top left: a dark blue stone profile, colorful manuscript detail, jeweled dragonfly wings, and blue-and-gold enameled portrait of an angel.

82nd and Fifth

One artwork can change the way you see the world.

About

82nd and Fifth is The Met’s address in New York City. It is also the intersection of art and ideas.

Throughout 2013, we invited 100 curators from across the Museum to talk about 100 works of art that changed the way they see the world, and eleven Museum photographers to interpret their vision: one work, one curator, two minutes at a time.

Episodes

Prime of Life by Alisa LaGamma
Video
Prime of Life
The most powerful artistic impression of women.
Alisa LaGamma
January 31, 2013
Faith by Luke Syson
Video
Faith
How beauty can inspire faith.
Luke Syson
January 31, 2013
Winners and Losers by Xavier Salomon
Video
Winners and Losers
How The Triumph of Marius is about the losers as much as the winners.
Xavier Salomon
January 31, 2013
Pensive with Soyoung Lee
Video
Pensive
What makes this Korean pensive bodhisattva so inviting?
Soyoung Lee
February 6, 2013
Fine Dining with Chris Lightfoot
Video
Fine Dining
This Roman gadget was clearly designed to impress.
Christopher S. Lightfoot
February 6, 2013
The Geeky Side by Melanie Holcomb
Video
The Geeky Side
A medieval effort to visualize commentary.
Melanie Holcomb
February 13, 2013
Extreme Fashion by Andrew Bolton
Video
Extreme Fashion
Alexander McQueen’s extreme fashion.
Andrew Bolton
February 20, 2013
Thinking Aloud by Carmen Bambach
Video
Thinking Aloud
Deconstructing Michelangelo’s process from a Sistine Chapel study.
Carmen C. Bambach
February 20, 2013
Enigma by Janice Kamrin
Video
Enigma
Uncovering the mysteries of an Ancient Egyptian canopic jar.
Janice Kamrin
February 27, 2013
My First Time by George Goldner
Video
My First Time
El Greco’s dramatic interpretation of Toledo.
George R. Goldner
February 27, 2013
Enamored by Sean Hemingway
Video
Enamored
How this Ancient Greek sculpture captures the purity of love.
Séan Hemingway
March 6, 2013
Close up view of the pattern of blue and gold flowers that make up the center swirl in a Turkish tughra.
Video
Getting Lost
You could get lost in this Turkish sultan’s elaborate signature.
Deniz Beyazit
March 6, 2013
Threshold by Keith Christiansen
Video
Threshold
Why is the virgin Mary so sad in this piece?
Keith Christiansen
March 13, 2013
Below the Surface by Ian Alteveer
Video
Below the Surface
How to find meaning in Jasper Johns’s White Flag.
Ian Alteveer
March 20, 2013
Looming Change by Melinda Watt
Video
Looming Change
This shawl, thought to be hand-woven in India, was actually produced in France.
Melinda Watt
March 27, 2013
Reading Matisse by Rebecca Rabinow
Video
Reading Matisse
How to read a Matisse.
Rebecca Rabinow
March 27, 2013
Cracking the Code by Dirk Breiding
Video
Cracking the Code
Is an inscription in Hebrew letters on this crossbow a secret code?
Dirk H. Breiding
April 3, 2013
Over the Top by Beth Wees
Video
Over the Top
This over-the-top golden vase by Tiffany & Co. is a salute to American commerce.
Beth Carver Wees
April 3, 2013
Atmospheric by Malcolm Daniel
Video
Atmospheric
How the only print of this landscape photograph is revolutionary.
Malcolm Daniel
April 10, 2013
Early Greek sculpture of a standing youth.
Video
Naked Authority
What’s so significant about the nudity in this early Greek sculpture?
Joan R. Mertens
April 12, 2013
Protective by Alison Manges Nogueira
Video
Protective
What the hands can tell us in Bellini’s Madonna and Child.
Alison Manges Nogueira
April 17, 2013
Drama by Peter Barnet
Video
Drama
Most Medieval depictions of Jesus are gentle. Why is this carving so dramatic?
Peter Barnet
April 17, 2013
Originality by Dita Amory
Video
Originality
Rembrandt makes da Vinci’s The Last Supper his own with this chalk study.
Dita Amory
April 24, 2013
Sealed by Yelena Rakic
Video
Sealed
How Akkadian cylinder seals served as ancient signatures.
Yelena Rakic
April 24, 2013
Healer by Jim Draper
Video
Healer
This small clay figure expresses an artist’s emotional family story.
James David Draper
May 1, 2013
Unfinished by Andrea Bayer
Video
Unfinished
How Bassano’s age and death change our understanding of his unfinished painting.
Andrea Bayer
May 1, 2013
In Conversation by Ellenor Alcorn
Video
In Conversation
How this English porcelain bottle mount embraces China with antiquity.
Ellenor Alcorn
May 8, 2013
Playing from Memory by Eric Kjellgren
Video
Playing from Memory
The ancestor’s voice emerges from the slit in the gong when it is played.
Eric Kjellgren
May 8, 2013
Cinematic by Helen Evans
Video
Cinematic
Why this plate has one of the most cinematic depictions of David and Goliath.
Helen C. Evans
May 15, 2013
Sustenance by Catharine Roehrig
Video
Sustenance
This wooden sculpture has motion and vitality unseen in most Egyptian art.
Catharine H. Roehrig
May 15, 2013
Divinity by Denise Leidy
Video
Divinity
Why this Buddhist Monk statue defies traditional depictions of religious figures.
Denise Patry Leidy
May 22, 2013
Morning Catch by Jeff Munger
Video
Morning Catch
Why this porcelain broth bowl stops a Met curator in his tracks.
Jeffrey H. Munger
May 22, 2013
Family by Perrin Stein
Video
Family
How Jacques Louis David’s study of Brutus gives you permission to be subjective.
Perrin Stein
May 29, 2013
Sea Change by Barbara Weinberg
Video
Sea Change
How Winslow Homer evokes the power of nature with just a few elements.
H. Barbara Weinberg
June 5, 2013
Detail of a pen and brown ink self portrait by Albrecht Dürer
Video
Tipping Point
How Albrecht Dürer made a statement through his studies.
Stijn Alsteens
June 12, 2013
Detail from Sanford Robinson Gifford's "A Gorge in the Mountains (Kauterskill Clove), a vast landscape in mostly gold hues.
Video
In the Void
How this vast landscape uses tiny brushstrokes to create a unified view of nature.
Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser
June 14, 2013
Motion by Marla Prather
Video
Motion
How Alexander Calder’s Mobile injects motion into sculpture.
Marla Prather
June 19, 2013
Gratitude by Ken Moore
Video
Gratitude
The decorated koto that might be too beautiful to play.
Ken Moore
June 19, 2013
Love by Mia Fineman
Video
Love
What can this photograph teach us about love?
Mia Fineman
June 25, 2013
Paradox by Maryam Ekhtiar
Video
Paradox
Why is this imitation gallstone held in such an extravagant case?
Maryam Ekhtiar
June 26, 2013
Ephemeral by Nonnie Frelinghuysen
Video
Ephemeral
How this Tiffany hair ornament embodies so much of what the artist was about.
Nonnie Frelinghuysen
June 26, 2013
Fashion Plate by Pierre Terjanian
Video
Fashion Plate
The armor that breaks away from all established standards.
Pierre Terjanian
July 3, 2013
Monsters by Kiki Karoglou
Video
Monsters
Why is the sphinx considered a guardian figure?
Kiki Karoglou
July 3, 2013
Motion Picture by Asher Miller
Video
Motion Picture
This painting has more to do with the act of painting than with the actual narrative.
Asher Miller
July 10, 2013
Line by Sheila Canby
Video
Line
The economy of this Persian pen drawing wouldn’t be possible without calligraphy.
Sheila Canby
July 10, 2013
Starting Over by Elizabeth Cleland
Video
Starting Over
The stunning tapestry woven by victims of religious persecution.
Elizabeth Cleland
July 17, 2013
Bundle of Emotions by Yaelle Biro
Video
Bundle of Emotions
What this object from a lost society tells us about a whole civilization.
Yaëlle Biro
July 17, 2013
Close up of a drawing by Rembrandt of Christ crucified on the cross
Video
Altered States
Rembrandt’s interpretation of the crucifixion changes how you look at people.
Nadine M. Orenstein
July 23, 2013
Phenomenon by Bradley Strauchen-Scherer
Video
Phenomenon
This is the earliest surviving piano.
Bradley Strauchen-Scherer
July 24, 2013
Noise by Maryan Ainsworth
Video
Noise
Can you listen to a painting?
Maryan Ainsworth
July 24, 2013
French Dressing by Harold Koda
Video
French Dressing
How this elegant 1919 coat was made from only one piece of fabric and one seam.
Harold Koda
July 31, 2013
Fantasy by Femke Speelberg
Video
Fantasy
This Greek architecture costume design makes fun of popular taste.
Femke Speelberg
July 31, 2013
Curls by Wolfram Koeppe
Video
Curls
How the details of this bust revealed its subject—a forgotten world leader.
Wolfram Koeppe
August 8, 2013
A photograph of a large sculpture of a Buddhist deity with dramatic lighting
Video
Stubborn
Meet the protector of Buddhist law.
Sinéad Vilbar
August 8, 2013
Snapshot by Marsha Hill
Video
Snapshot
This Egyptian statue is reminiscent of a family photo.
Marsha Hill
August 14, 2013
The Choice by Walter Liedtke
Video
The Choice
What makes this painting a monument to Western culture?
Walter A. Liedtke
August 21, 2013
Arresting by Charles Little
Video
Arresting
This relief of Jesus’s final hours changed how sculptures tell stories.
Charles T. Little
August 21, 2013
Blazing Saddle by Donald La Rocca
Video
Blazing Saddle
How this ornate saddle reflects traditional Tibetan culture.
Donald J. La Rocca
August 28, 2013
The front view of a small, blue sculpture of a hippopotamus
Video
Precaution
The Met’s unofficial mascot—this tiny hippo named William—has a bit of a dark side.
Isabel Stünkel
August 28, 2013
Idolized by Diana Craig Patch
Video
Idolized
This tiny Egyptian statue was created to house the spirit of a god.
Diana Craig Patch
September 10, 2013
Paris-New York by Peter Kenny
Video
Paris to New York
This avant-garde French table is a statement of arrival in America.
Peter M. Kenny
September 10, 2013
Hyperreality by Kim Benzel
Video
Hyperreality
How the dizzying repetition of these Assyrian reliefs gives them hyperreality.
Kim Benzel
September 17, 2013
Eternity by Maxwell K. Hearn
Video
Eternity
How this Chinese scroll confronts us with our own mortality.
Maxwell K. Hearn
September 17, 2013
Bricks by Sarah B. Graff
Video
Bricks
Why the brick lions that protected the streets of Babylon feel alive.
Sarah Graff
October 1, 2013
Doomed by Sabine Rewald
Video
Doomed
Otto Dix wanted to capture the essence of a person, no matter how negative.
Sabine Rewald
October 1, 2013
Breakthrough by Thomas P. Campbell
Video
Breakthrough
The rare tapestry that changed how others were made.
Thomas P. Campbell
October 2, 2013
Exposure by Freyda Spira
Video
Exposure
This isn’t just an engraving of Adam and Eve from 1504. It’s a global ad campaign.
Freyda Spira
October 2, 2013
Magical by Adela Oppenheim
Video
Magical
Decoding the necklace of an Ancient Egyptian princess.
Adela Oppenheim
October 3, 2013
Metaphorical by Shi yee Liu
Video
Metaphorical
How Liang Kai paints with metaphor.
Shi-yee Liu
October 3, 2013
Open-Minded by Navina Haidar
Video
Open-Minded
The details in this painting of Krishna reflect cross-cultural open-mindedness.
Navina Najat Haidar
October 3, 2013
Identity by Danielle Kisluk-Grosheide
Video
Identity
Why do some call this table seductive?
Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide
October 9, 2013
Predestined by Barbara Drake Boehm
Video
Predestined
What are the angels on this enameled plaque bearing witness to?
Barbara Drake Boehm
October 9, 2013
Head of Class by Stuart Pyhrr
Video
Head of Class
What makes this helmet a masterpiece of Renaissance metalwork?
Stuart W. Pyhrr
October 16, 2013
She by Jason Sun
Video
She
What this Tang dynasty figure represents about human beauty and its moment in time.
Zhixin Jason Sun
October 16, 2013
Marble Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure
Video
Centerpiece
Why this Dionysus statue is the centerpiece of the Roman court?
Carlos A. Picón
October 23, 2013
A a painting of a Tibetan Buddhist guardian Mahakala
Video
The Dark Lord
The terrifying deity that protects Buddhist monasteries.
Kurt Behrendt
October 23, 2013
Be Prepared by Connie McPhee
Video
Be Prepared
How William Blake uses light as a symbol to cast the difference between two groups.
Constance C. McPhee
October 29, 2013
Boy Geniuses by Timothy B. Husband
Video
Boy Geniuses
The teen prodigies behind this groundbreaking 15th century French picture book.
Tim Husband
October 30, 2013
View of Great Hall by daylight
Video
Arrival—The Great Hall
The Met’s Great Hall was built to inspire awe and a sense of arrival.
Morrison H. Heckscher
November 6, 2013
Dream Logic by Joseph Scheier Dolberg
Video
Dream Logic
Twelve paintings by Shitao that take you on a journey.
Joseph Scheier-Dolberg
November 12, 2013
Accident by Samantha Rippner
Video
Accident
Accident is a print about printmaking and Rauschenberg embracing the process.
Samantha Rippner
November 13, 2013
Nosing Around by Julie Jones
Video
Nosing Around
Why Peruvian fashion favored septum jewelry with spiders.
Julie Jones
November 13, 2013
Shellshocked by Yassana Croizat Glazer
Video
Shellshocked
Rusticware that reflects the period’s fascination with exploring the natural world.
Yassana Croizat-Glazer
November 25, 2013
Awkward by Cora Michael
Video
Awkward
How Edgar Degas captured the gangly, awkward movements of a young dancer.
Cora Michael
November 26, 2013
Celestial by Clare Vincent
Video
Celestial
The celestial globe that features mythology, science, and technology.
Clare Vincent
November 26, 2013
Predator by Fiona Kidd
Video
Predator
The mystery behind the person who wore this gold ornament.
Fiona Kidd
November 26, 2013
Poetic License by Martina Rugiadi
Video
Poetic License
What makes this seemingly simple drinking vessel rebellious?
Martina Rugiadi
December 4, 2013
Hipster by Jan Glier Reeder
Video
Hipster
Why Charles James saw himself as a sculptor of fabric.
Jan Glier Reeder
December 6, 2013
Terrible Beauty by C. Griffith Mann
Video
Terrible Beauty
This altar piece embodies the culture of storytelling in the Middle Ages.
C. Griffith Mann
December 11, 2013
Gesture by Nicholas Cullinan
Video
Gesture
How to understand a Jackson Pollock painting.
December 18, 2013
Face by Joanne Pillsbury
Video
Face
This 3,000-year-old Olmec face was made to last. What can we learn from it?
Joanne Pillsbury
December 19, 2013
Deciphering the Flowers by Sheena Wagstaff
Video
Deciphering the Flowers
Deciphering the language of paint in Arshile Gorky’s Water of the Flowery Mill.
Sheena Wagstaff
December 24, 2013
Stare by Jeff Rosenheim
Video
Stare
Walker Evans’s candid photos of 1930s subway passengers are early conceptual art.
Jeff L. Rosenheim
December 24, 2013

Credits

Executive Director: Thomas P. Campbell
Producer: Teresa Lai
Director: Christopher Noey
Producer: Howard Silver
Editors and Sound Recording: Sarah Cowan, Stephanie Wuertz
Design and Development: Chips

Art Photography: Joseph Coscia, Jr., Katherine Dahab, Anna-Marie Kellen, Paul Lachenauer, Oi-Cheong Lee, Mark Morosse, Bruce J. Schwarz, Eileen Travell, Juan Trujillo, Karin L. Willis, and Peter Zeray
Portrait Photography and Imaging Direction: Jackie Neale Chadwick

"Explore" Feature Production: Austin Fisher, Amy Liebster
Original Music: Edward Bilous, Greg Kalember
Music Production: Michelle Dibucci for Sonic Highway
Post-Production Supervision: Paul Caro
Imaging: Helena Guzik, Kathryn Hurni, Elaine Lee, Steven Paneccasio
Additional Imaging: Scott Geffert, Chris Heins, Heather Johnson, Thomas B. Ling, Wilson Santiago
Web Editing: Michael Cirigliano, Annie Dolmatch
Additional Web Production: Helena Guzik
Proofreading: Robin Schwalb
Transcription: Denise Rohlfs
Rights and Permissions: Dina Selfridge, Eileen Sullivan, Jeri Wagner, Julie Zeftel

Advisory Committee:
Ian Alteveer, Carrie Rebora Barratt, Andrea Bayer, Christine Coulson, Michael Gallagher, Navina Haidar, Seán Hemingway, Melanie Holcomb, Elizabeth Kornhauser, Alisa LaGamma, Soyoung Lee, Marco Leona, Catharine Roehrig, Jeff L. Rosenheim, Perrin Stein, and Luke Syson

Special Thanks:
Aleli Alcala, Imtikar Ally, Christine S. Begley, Sean Belair, Greg Bernard, Stephen Bluto, Linda Borsch, Michael Bower, Einar J. Brendalen, Darren Bridenbeck, Barbara J. Bridgers, Denise L. Canniff, Rebecca Capua, Giulia Carciotto, Lori Carrier, Michael K. Carter, Fred Caruso, Tim Caster, Linlin Chen, Soon Chun Cho, Alison Clark, Maureen Coyle, Cristina del Valle, Annick Des Roches, Edward Devlin, Nina McN. Diefenbach, Abdelouadoud El Omrani, Ariel Estrada, Kate Farrell, Sean Farrell, Toma Fichter, Giovanna Florino-Iannace, Betsey Fortlouis, Maria Fredericks, Meredith Friedman, Joyce Fung, Bill Gagen, Manus Gallagher, Robert Gerstle, Matthias Giessler, Maria José Gil, Jessica Glass, Peggy H. Hebard, Ann Heywood, Morgan S. Holzer, Staci Hou, Edward Hunter, Dennis Kaiser, Nitasha A. Kawatra, Dennis Kelly, Colin Kennedy, Daniel Kershaw, Hermes Knauer, Camille Knop, Lisa Krassner, Eva Labson, Chad Lemke, Ricky Luna, Christine McDermott, Betsy Means, Ella Melitsky, Natasha Mileshina, Maya Nagaoka, Taylor Newby, Luis Nuñez, Shyam C. Oberoi, Levent Oklu, Mary Beth Orr, Shawne Osborne, Adam Padron, Kevin Park, Helena Perez, Beatrice Pinto, Emily Kernan Rafferty, David Raymond, Lucy V. Redoglia, Gwen Roginsky, Jonathan Rohner, Jacqueline Rosenbaum, Jennifer Russell, Nancy Rutledge, Gonzalo Saavedra, Sergio Salerno, Sarah Scatturo, Tamara Schechter, Patricia Seto-Weiss, Artemis Shaw, Marjorie Shelley, Hyla Skopitz, Allison Sokaris, Robert Sorenson, Jeffrey S. Spar, Sree Sreenivasan, Juan Stacey, Neal Stimler, Denny Stone, Jeffrey W. Strickland, Bérénice Taveau, Jane S. Tai, Sean Thomas, Elyse Topalian, Jordan S. Tuch, Masha Turchinsky, Daniel Vincent, Thomas C. Vinton, Jenna Wainwright, Christina Watson, Robert Weisberg, Jill Wickenheisser, Eileen M. Willis, Andrew Winslow, Yana Van Dyke, Hwai-Ling Yeh-Lewis, and Elizabeth Zanis

More Series from The Met

A black-and-white still from the 1928 film Behind the Scenes: The Working Side of the Museum, which depicts the superimposed image of an old-fashioned time-card machine over the face of a wall clock
From The Vaults
Audiovisual materials from the Museum’s extensive archive.
Writer Fran Lebowitz sits in The Met’s Paintings Conservation Lab in front of Rembrandt’s Aristotle with a Bust of Homer painting.
Meet Me at The Met
Take a walk through the galleries with notable guests and see The Met collection through their eyes.
Grid of nine black and white photographic portraits of artists
The Artist Project
What artists see when they look at The Met.