Teen Advisory Group Member Evelin writes about dress codes in fifteenth-century Italy.

The creator of Don't Touch My Hair, Princess Hair, and Michelle’s Garden created this comic about all the reasons she loves to visit The Met.

Rising from humble origins as Turkish tribesmen, the powerful and culturally prolific Seljuqs—an empire whose reach extended from Central Asia to the eastern Mediterranean—dominated the Islamic world from the eleventh to the fourteenth century. Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs examines the roots and impact of this formidable dynasty, featuring some 250 objects as evidence of the artistic and cultural flowering that occurred under Seljuq rule. Beginning with an historical overview of the empire, from its early advances into Iran and northern Iraq to the spread of its dominion into Anatolia and northern Syria, Court and Cosmos illuminates the splendor of Seljuq court life. This aura of luxury extended to a sophisticated new elite, as both sultans and city dwellers acquired dazzling glazed ceramics and metalwork lavishly inlaid with silver, copper, and gold. Advances in science and technology found parallels in a flourishing interest in the arts of the book, underscoring the importance the Seljuqs placed on the scholarly and literary life. At the same time, the unrest that accompanied warfare between the Seljuqs and their enemies as well as natural disasters and unexplainable celestial phenomena led people to seek solace in magic and astrology, which found expression in objects adorned with zodiacal and talismanic imagery. These popular beliefs existed alongside devout adherence to Islam, as exemplified by exquisitely calligraphed Qur’ans and an array of building inscriptions and tombstones bearing verses from the holy book. The great age of the Seljuqs was one that celebrated magnificence, be it of this world or in the celestial realm. By revealing the full breadth of their artistic achievement, Court and Cosmos provides an invaluable record of the Seljuqs’ contribution to the cultural heritage of the Islamic world.

Former High School Intern Teresa shares what she learned from applying to the High School Internship Program and speaking with Met staff.

One of the most memorable episodes in the history of archaeology was the discovery and exploration of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (Dynasty 18; ruled about 1336–1327 B.C.). Discovered in 1922 by British archaeologist Howard Carter and his benefactor Lord Carnarvon, the tomb's four chambers were crammed with such spectacular objects as gold-covered chariots; elaborately carved alabaster vessels; inlaid furniture; a vast array of Tutankhamun's personal belongings, including jewelry; a series of shrines and coffins that protected the king; and the famous solid-gold mask that adorned his mummy—the last, among the most iconic examples of ancient Egyptian art ever to have come to light. The clearance of the tomb unfolded over a period of ten years. Each step was documented by British archaeological photographer Harry Burton (1879–1940), a member of the Metropolitan Museum's Egyptian Expedition, who had joined Carter and was entrusted with recording every detail of the painstaking work of removing and preserving all of the almost fifty-four hundred individual objects that filled the tomb. This volume brings together over seventy of the more than fourteen hundred 8-by-10 black-and-white images by Harry Burton (his glass-plate negatives are today in the archives of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and in Great Britain at the Griffith Institute in Oxford). Burton captured both the excitement and the tension surrounding the excavation as it progressed, beginning with his panoramic view of the Valley of the Kings. His camera caught everything as it was found, and as each of the sealed rooms filled with artifacts was opened, culminating in his record of Carter's exploration of the Burial Chamber, with its series of shrines and coffins that protected the young Tutankhamun and enclosed his mummy, bedecked with floral collars and the famous gold mask. The book opens with an Introduction by James P. Allen, Curator in the Metropolitan Museum's Department of Egyptian Art, which presents a historical background for the story of the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb and the significance of its contents, placing the excavation and the events surrounding it in context. The narrative text by Susan J. Allen, Senior Research Associate in the Department of Egyptian Art, describes every stage in the clearance of the tomb, and the careful exploration, examination, and conservation by Carter and his team of the artifacts that it contained. The specific activities shown in the photographs are identified in the detailed explanations provided for each of the plates. The volume contains a map of the Valley of the Kings, a plan of the tomb of Tutankhamun, and a Suggested Reading list for those interested in learning more about the subject.

Widely recognized as among the most important and influential designers of the past forty years, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons has defined and transformed the visual language of our time. Since her Paris debut in 1981, she has blurred the divide between art and fashion and transformed customary notions of the body, beauty and identity. This lavishly illustrated publication weaves an illuminating narrative around Kawakubo's revolutionary experiments in interstitiality—the space between boundaries. Brilliant new photographs of more than 120 examples of Kawakubo's womenswear for Comme des Garçons, accompanied by Kawakubo's commentary on her designs and creative process, reveal her conceptual and challenging aesthetic as never before. A chronology of Kawakubo's career provides additional context, and an insightful conversation with the author offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind of this fashion visionary.

Associate Curator Elizabeth Cleland invites visitors to Relative Values to view decorative-arts objects from northern Renaissance as works of contemporary art.

"For me, people come first," Alice Neel (1900–1984) declared in 1950. "I have tried to assert the dignity and eternal importance of the human being." This ambitious publication surveys Neel's nearly 70-year career through the lens of her radical humanism. Remarkable portraits of victims of the Great Depression, fellow residents of Spanish Harlem, leaders of political organizations, queer artists, visibly pregnant women, and members of New York's global diaspora reveal that Neel viewed humanism as both a political and philosophical ideal. In addition to these paintings of famous and unknown sitters, the more than 100 works highlighted include Neel's emotionally charged cityscapes and still lifes as well as the artist’s erotic pastels and watercolors. Essays tackle Neel's portrayal of LGBTQ subjects; her unique aesthetic language, which merged abstraction and figuration; and her commitment to progressive politics, civil rights, feminism, and racial diversity. The authors also explore Neel's highly personal preoccupations with death, illness, and motherhood while reasserting her place in the broader cultural history of the 20th century.

Sheila Canby, Patti Cadby Birch Curator in Charge of the Department of Islamic Art, takes readers behind the scenes of the installation of Court and Cosmos: The Great Age of the Seljuqs, on view through July 24, 2016.

This beautiful book combines the original photographs made in the 1920s when the breathtaking tomb of Tutankhamun was discovered and explored with spectacular modern color photographs of many of the magnificent objects buried with the young pharaoh. who lived during one of the most splendid periods of ancient Egyptian art and history. The pictures and the lucid text, by I. E. S. Edwards, formerly of the British Museum, take you on step-by-step tour through the 3,200-year-old tomb with its many treasures. which range from touching mementos of Tutankhamun's boyhood to unparalleled works of art.