Power & Privilege

These articles address how art can create and challenge power and privilege.

View of the Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza, a sinkhole situated in a verdant forest

Into the Centipede's Jaws: Sumptuous Offerings from the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá

Assistant Curator James Doyle highlights luxury goods featured in Golden Kingdoms that were used in ritual offerings made to the Sacred Cenote at Chichén Itzá.

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

Paying the Man: Ancient Tributes in Golden Kingdoms

Curatorial intern Ji Mary Seo explores the ways in which ancient Americans were required to pay tribute to governing authorities, much as we pay taxes to our governments today.

Critiques of Power and Toxic Masculinity—Kelly Baum on Leon Golub: Raw Nerve

Curator Kelly Baum, in conversation with Will Fenstermaker, discusses Leon Golub's paintings and their critique of power and belligerence.

Visitors to Versailles

Bringing Versailles to New York

Exhibition curator Daniëlle Kisluk-Grosheide shares the magnificence of the Palace of Versailles, and previews the exhibition Visitors to Versailles at The Met.

A Maya Game of Thrones and Artistic Innovation in Golden Kingdoms

Assistant Curator James Doyle traces the saga of two warring Maya city-states using luxury objects featured in the exhibition Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas.

Sharpening Ceremony and Ritual: The Beautiful Blades of Golden Kingdoms

Assistant Curator James Doyle explores the artistry of a selection of blades on view in the exhibition Golden Kingdoms: Luxury and Legacy in the Ancient Americas.

The Red Queen and Her Sisters: Women of Power in Golden Kingdoms

Curator Joanne Pillsbury highlights a number of the spectacular objects featured in Golden Kingdoms that reveal the prominence of women of power in the ancient Americas.

Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Cosmos, Power, and Ritual

Fellow Aurora Graldi shares insights into the exhibition Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal.

The Miraculous Survival of Fatimid Jewelry

Digital Editor Pac Pobric introduces a new Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History essay on the defining characteristics of Fatimid jewelry.

Previous More articles