Moon Art, 1969

“Everyone everywhere has dreamed of landing on the moon.” In this brisk but sweeping tour of lunar imagery, art critic Aline B. Saarinen offers a poetic consideration of the moon’s significance across time and cultures. Tracing this symbolism from the Roman goddess Diana to the Japanese myth of the moon rabbit, Saarinen presents a spellbinding survey of mythological associations that illustrates how people have always sought to understand the moon’s mysterious powers. This curious short film, originally meant to be televised during the first moon landing on July 20, 1969, never aired.

Launched in 2020 as part of The Met’s 150th anniversary year, From the Vaults is a series that presents materials from the Museum’s extensive audiovisual holdings with the public. The Met’s moving-image archive, which comprises over 1,500 films, spans from the 1920s onward and includes rarely seen artist profiles and documentaries, as well as process films about art-making techniques and behind-the-scenes footage.


A photo of the artist Ana Mendieta
Two filmmakers reflect on the pioneering artist, whose feminist thought informed her understanding of the natural world.
Christopher Alessandrini and Stephanie Wuertz
October 20, 2021
Still from "The Living Room" of Berenice Abbott sitting in an armchair in front of a fire with a camera on the table in front of her
Filmmakers Martha Wheelock and Kay Weaver discuss their memories of living and working with the legendary photographer.
Christopher Alessandrini and Stephanie Wuertz
June 24, 2022
An image of two young figures sitting on the branch of a birch tree. The top and bottom portions of the image are blurred, drawing attention to the in-focus face of the figure on the left.
Video
“When I see birches bend to left and right / Across the lines of straighter darker trees, / I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.” On April 7, 1955, Robert Frost delivered a poetry reading at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
March 26, 2024

A slider containing 4 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
The Immaculate Conception, Guido Reni  Italian, Oil on canvas
Guido Reni
1627
Mirror case with lunar scene
, Embroidered silk gauze, China
China
19th century
The Sacrifice of Iphigenia, Carle (Charles André) Vanloo  French, Pen and brown ink, brush and brown, blue, red and pale yellow wash heightened with white, over traces of black chalk, on brown-washed paper. The sheet consists of fourteen pieces of cream-colored paper mounted on a paper support.
Carle (Charles André) Vanloo
ca. 1755
Diana and the Stag, Joachim Friess, Partially gilded silver, enamel, jewels (case); iron, wood (movement), German, Augsburg
Joachim Friess
ca. 1620