In conjunction with its centennial exhibitions "Nineteenth-Century America" and "The Rise of an American Architecture," the Metropolitan Museum was host in May 1970 to a four-day gathering of scholars, historians, critics, and collectors. This was the first formal exchange of ideas about nineteenth-century American art by such a group. Twenty years ago, these exhibitions, much less this symposium, could hardly have taken place. Unfashionable American paintings for years remained in the storerooms and basements of museums; many buildings and interiors of the nineteenth century were condemned to demolition or consigned to the rubbish heap. But we have finally become interested in our heritage and concerned enough to hold a meeting such as this one. We hope the ideas generated here helped to give impetus to the movement to preserve what is left of nineteenth-century America. The eleven papers in this volume, the core of the symposium, throw new lights on our art and architecture. For example, the interaction between American and European art and architecture during the nineteenth century was reviewed and proved to be much more complicated than was thought before; and some new principles for art history, in which style was related to political, social, and philosphical movements, presented us with a particularly challenging problem. Perhaps ideas such as these will lead to more research, more knowledge, and ultimately acquaint more Americans with the charms of this enormously imaginative and lively period.

Chantal Stein, a college intern guest blogger, reviews the current exhibition Jewels by JAR, the first retrospective of jewelry designer Joel A. Rosenthal's work in America.

Singular vision and passion for excellence are among the many superlative phrases that come to mind when considering the jewels made by Joel A. Rosenthal, known as JAR. JAR's creations recall the best of the Renaissance masters, but in their daring design and unexpected combination of gemstones they are unquestionably modern. Nature is a recurring theme in the JAR canon, with butterflies singled out for their varying and brightly hued wing patterns, along with flowers, fruit, vegetables, and other natural forms, reimagined in color-saturated bracelets and brooches. This book, with an essay by art dealer and author Adrian Sassoon, accompanies an exhibition of more than three hundred and sixty objects at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a young boy, Joel Rosenthal frequently visited the Met to sketch his favorite works. It is fitting that the Museum now exhibits his works of art, making this the culmination of a personal and artistic journey.

When Edgar Degas died in 1917, his enormous art collection, consisting of several thousand paintings, drawings, and prints, came to light. This remarkable assemblage included great numbers of works by the French nineteenth-century masters whom Degas revered—Delacroix, Ingres, and Daumier—and at the same time demonstrated Degas's profound interest in the art of certain of his contemporaries, particularly Manet, Cézanne, Gauguin, and Mary Cassatt. Dispersed when it was sold at auction in 1918 during the bombardment of Paris, the collection is now the subject of both an illuminating exhibition and this accompanying catalogue. In a series of essays, some previously published and some written for this book, major scholars discuss, from various perspectives, Degas's collection and its relation to his own art. Ann Dumas vividly describes Degas's passionate appreciation and compulsive acquisition of works of art, his musings about founding a museum, and the nineteenth-century world of art collecting in which he moved. Gary Tinterow reveals the staggering quantity and quality of his own works that Degas kept until his death—not the ballet dancers of his middle years, but stunning early portraits and mysterious narrative paintings, boldly composed late works that explode with color, and examples of his consummate draftsmanship. Degas's own artistic thinking was significantly influenced by the artists he admired, and this subject is explored by several authors. Theodore Reff's classic essay on Ingres, Delacroix, and Daumier demonstrates the complex ways Degas comprehended the genius of each master and in some way made it his own. Degas's personal and artistic relationship with Manet is investigated by Mari Kálmán Meller and Juliet Wilson-Bareau, and his protective encouragement of Gauguin is described by Françoise Cachin. Richard Kendall points out the intriguing parallels and divergences between Degas's and Cézanne's artistic achievements. The history of a printmaking endeavor in which Degas collaborated with Mary Cassatt and other artists is presented by Barbara Stern Shapiro. Colta Ives explicates how Degas assimilated the lessons he derived from Japanese prints. The dramatic revelation and then the auctioning off of Degas's collection constitute still another story. Caroline Durand-Ruel Godfroy conveys a sense of the frantic behind-the-scenes activity at the Durand-Ruel gallery, which inventoried the collection and managed its sale. Susan Alyson Stein narrates the chain of events by which the Metropolitan Museum, despite wartime difficulties, ultimately succeeded in acquiring masterworks from Degas's collection and studio. Rebecca A. Rabinow describes the animated press coverage of the sales on both sides of the Atlantic and provides a compilation of the actual writings. A second, companion volume is an illustrated summary catalogue of the entire collection. Richly illustrated with hundreds of works from Degas's collection, this comprehensive study of a great artist's artistic passions is a book of exceptional interest.

As our presentation of the Washington Haggadah enters its final month, we turn not to the end of the book but to the first page of the manuscript. In both word and image, this page proclaims the privilege of preparing for Passover.

Publishing and Marketing Assistant Rachel High speaks with Curator Carmen C. Bambach about the power of Michelangelo's drawings and the artist's savvy shaping of his own history.

This week we turned the pages in the Washington Haggadah, which is on loan to the Museum from the Library of Congress through July 4.

The illustrations of the Washington Haggadah, currently on loan to the Metropolitan from the Library of Congress, suggest—with a touch of humor and not a little humanity—some of the challenges inherent in following the instructions for celebrating the Passover seder.

Associate Curator Yaëlle Biro describes a new installation in the Museum's main gallery devoted to African art.

Intern Freya Yost discusses her yearlong internship at Watson Library.

Five sculptures by renowned American artist Joel Shapiro (born 1941) are currently on view in the 2001 installation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. Drawn from public and private collections, Joel Shapiro on the Roof includes three large cast bronze and two painted cast aluminum sculptures, dating from 1989 to the present. Three have not been exhibited previously in New York, and two have been newly created. The works are exhibited in the 10,000-square-foot open-air space that offers spectacular views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. The installation marks the fourth consecutive single-artist installation on the Roof Garden.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art will feature a selection of five sculptures by renowned American artist Joel Shapiro (born 1941) in the 2001 installation of The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, opening May 1. Drawn from public and private collections, Joel Shapiro on the Roof will include five large cast bronze and painted cast aluminum sculptures, dating from 1989 to the present – three have not been previously exhibited in New York, and two have been newly created. The works will be exhibited in the 10,000-square-foot open-air space that offers spectacular views of Central Park and the New York City skyline. The installation will mark the fourth consecutive single-artist installation on the Roof Garden.