Contemporary Artist Commissions

Alex Da Corte on As Long as the Sun Lasts

Da Corte shares the inspiration and making of his 2021 Roof Garden Commission, As Long as the Sun Lasts.

By Alex Da Corte and Shanay Jhaveri May 14, 2021

Photo of The Met's facade with installation art piece between two columns.

Carol Bove on The séances aren’t helping

Go behind the scenes with the artist who made The Met’s 2021 facade commission.

By Carol Bove Mar 11, 2021

Héctor Zamora on Lattice Detour

Zamora discusses Lattice Detour, his 2020 Rooftop Commission.

By Héctor Zamora Sep 4, 2020

Miss Chief Eagle Testickle, Kent Monkman’s Alter Ego

“I wanted a persona to really reflect our point of view at the time that colonial policies were beginning.”

By Kent Monkman Dec 23, 2019

Artist Kent Monkman stands in front of a hall with a colorful painting behind.

Kent Monkman on mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People)

Monkman inaugurates The Met’s annual Great Hall Commission with mistikôsiwak (Wooden Boat People).

By Kent Monkman Dec 20, 2019

Kent Monkman Reverses Art History’s Colonial Gaze

The celebrated Cree artist arrives at The Met—along with his gender-bending, time-travelling, shape-shifting alter ego, Miss Chief Eagle Testickle.

By Randall Griffey Dec 17, 2019

A bronze figure sits in the Metropolitan facade

Who are Wangechi Mutu’s NewOnes?

“I’ve chosen to stick with the subject of the female body as a platform for what we feel about ourselves as humans.”

By Wangechi Mutu Nov 11, 2019

Science Fiction, Migrancy, and Wangechi Mutu’s NewOnes

Mutu muses on her sculptures’ relationship to migrancy and science fiction.

By Wangechi Mutu Oct 30, 2019

Wangechi Mutu on The NewOnes, will free Us

Mutu inaugurates The Met’s annual facade commission with The NewOnes, will free Us.

By Wangechi Mutu Sep 13, 2019

How Ragnar Kjartansson Composed Death Is Elsewhere

Kjartansson muses on Death Is Elsewhere’s relationship to Icelandic storytelling traditions.

By Ragnar Kjartansson Aug 12, 2019

Oliver Beer’s Vessel Orchestra and the Democracy of Sound

What happens when you listen to things you can normally only see? To find out, Beer turned 32 artworks into a playable instrument.

By Lauren Rosati Aug 9, 2019

A blonde-haired man with glasses, dressed in black, stands between two sculptures

Oliver Beer on Vessel Orchestra

Beer discusses the process and inspiration of his sound installation Vessel Orchestra.

By Oliver Beer Jul 13, 2019

The artist Ragnar Kjartansson stands in the Lehman Court at The Met

Ragnar Kjartansson on Death Is Elsewhere

Kjartansson discusses the inspiration and making of Death Is Elsewhere.

By Ragnar Kjartansson Jul 7, 2019

Alicja Kwade on ParaPivot

Kwade discusses the miniature solar system she built to make sense of an unfathomable universe.

By Alicja Kwade May 24, 2019

Huma Bhabha on We Come in Peace

Bhabha discusses her work’s themes of colonialism, war, displacement, and memories of place.

By Huma Bhabha and Shanay Jhaveri Apr 17, 2018

Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara

In the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara, a series of medieval empires fueled a global network of trade and cultural exchange.

A portrait of two men, one with his arm around the other's shoulders

Alice Neel: People Come First

Learn more about one of the 20th century’s most radical painters, a champion of social justice whose humanist principles inspired her life and art.

Art of Native America: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection

This landmark exhibition showcases more than 50 cultures across North America.

A New Look at Old Masters

Learn more about the vision behind the reinstallation of the European Paintings galleries.

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