Art Explained

Throughout 2013, The Met invited curators from across the Museum to each talk about one artwork that changed the way they see the world.

Multi Colored graphic

Tenzing Rigdol on Biography of a Thought

"I see vibrant thoughts as clouds and feel volatile emotions as waves."

Maquetas de barro nayaritas: una mirada a su interior

La curadora Laura Filloy Nadal te invita a asomarte al interior de tres maquetas de barro de la antigua cultura nayarita, que ofrecen una singular ventana para conocer algunos aspectos de la vida cotidiana en el occidente de México entre los años 100 antes de nuestra era y 200 de la era común.

Inside Look: Nayarit House Models

Join curator Laura Filloy Nadal on a tour through ancient Nayarit house models, offering a unique window into life in West Mexico between 100 BCE and 200 CE. 

A composite image of a smiling man on the left and a multicolored painting with blue waves at the corner and a blue man fallling out of a yellow boat.

Artist Interview—Tenzing Rigdol Commission-Mandalas

Go behind the scenes with artist Tenzing Rigdol as he discusses his installation, Biography of a Thought, for the exhibition Mandalas: Mapping the Buddhist Art of Tibet, on view through January 12, 2025.

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Mexican Prints at the Vanguard

Discover the rich history of printmaking in Mexico and the The Met’s collecting of these prints.
A serene painting depicting the Virgin Mary and Child nestled within a tranquil forest setting, surrounded by lush greenery.

Look Again: European Paintings—Rethinking Spain & The Spanish Americas

Join curator David Pullins and conservator Jose Luis Lazarte Luna as they discuss the new approach to Spanish painting of the “Golden Age”.

Look Again:European Paintings—Rembrandt: Restoring a Masterpiece

Join curator Adam Eaker and conservator Dorothy Mahon as they discuss the restoration of Rembrandt’s Artistotle with a Bust of Homer, 1653, now on view in the renovated and reinstalled European Paintings galleries at The Met, Look Again: European Paintings 1300-1800.

A black volute-krater with copper-colored accents. Geometric patterns accent the lip and handles of the vessel, while the scene on the body shows a divine couple seated between two columns, flanked by a priestess and figures playing instruments.

Athenian Masterpieces in Etruscan Tombs

The magnificent volute-krater on loan from Ferrara.
Image of two shadowy figures rowing a boat with a baby in one arm.

Reflections on Flooding

How have printmakers in the United States addressed a long history of inundation and the social inequities it exacerbates?
Detail of a vibrant quilt made up of squares with narrow, rectangular strips of alternating colors.

Immaterial: Blankets
and Quilts

Threads of identity.
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