Press release

SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITIONS SEPTEMBER–DECEMBER 2005

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Information provided below is subject to change. To confirm scheduling and dates, call the Communications Department at (212) 570-3951. CONTACT NUMBER FOR USE IN TEXT IS (212) 535-7710.

New Exhibitions
Upcoming Exhibitions
Continuing Exhibitions

New and Recently Opened Installations
Traveling Exhibitions
Visitor Information

SPECIAL NOTE

· Opening October 18, Vincent van Gogh: The Drawings is the first major American retrospective devoted to the artist's decadelong achievement as a draftsman.
· Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437 displays 200 magnificent works created as Prague emerged as a cultural capital of Europe. · Fra Angelico, the first major U.S. exhibition of the Florentine artist's oeuvre, unites some 75 paintings, drawings, and manuscript illuminations covering all periods of the artist's career.
· Robert Rauschenberg: Combines, opening December 20, presents 65 landmark works created between 1954 and 1964 by the artist who reinvented the medium of collage.
· Press releases will soon be available via e-mail. To be added to the e-mail list, please contact us at communications@metmuseum.org.

NEW EXHIBITIONS

The Art of Medicine in Ancient Egypt
September 13, 2005–January 15, 2006

The causes of illnesses were little understood in ancient Egypt, and their prevention and cure were a major concern for most Egyptians—one that informs much of ancient Egyptian art, yet has been given relatively little attention. This exhibition highlights objects from the Museum's collection that address this concern, allowing visitors to appreciate them in new ways. Included is the rarely seen Edwin Smith Papyrus, on loan from the New York Academy of Medicine. One of the world's oldest scientific documents, this 15-foot medical papyrus deals with the treatment of wounds both practically and magically.
The exhibition is made possible in part by Raymond and Beverly Sackler.
Additional support for the exhibition and its accompanying catalogue has been provided by The Adelaide Milton de Groot Fund, in memory of the de Groot and Hawley families.
Press preview: Monday, September 12, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Rara Avis: Selections from the Iris Barrel Apfel Collection
September 13, 2005–January 22, 2006

An American original in the truest sense, Iris Barrel Apfel is one of the most vivacious personalities in the worlds of fashion, textiles, and interior design and has cultivated a personal style that is both witty and exuberantly idiosyncratic. Her originality is typically revealed in her eclectic mixing of styles—Dior haute couture with flea-market finds, Dolce & Gabbana striped leather trousers with a Zuni belt. The exhibition inaugurates a new phase in the collecting and exhibiting of dress accessories by the Metropolitan Museum's Costume Institute. Highlights include individual accessories ranging from a Gripoix brooch to a Roger Jean-Pierre necklace, a Mexican turquoise and hammered-silver belt to a Central Asian silver choker, a pair of 18th-century paste earrings to a pair of modern plastic cuffs.
Press preview: Monday, September 12, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347–1437
September 20, 2005–January 3, 2006

Crowned King of Bohemia in 1347, Charles IV sought to make his capital city—Prague—the cultural rival of Paris and Rome. The remarkable flowering of art that resulted is celebrated in an exhibition that draws together some 200 stunning examples including panel paintings, goldsmiths' work, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, silk embroideries, and stained glass. These little-known masterpieces attest to the wide-ranging achievements of the hundreds of artists affiliated with Prague and the Bohemian crown during the reign of Charles IV and his two sons, Wenceslas IV and Sigismund. The exhibition draws on numerous collections in the Czech Republic as well as other European and American collections.
The exhibition is made possible in part by Carl B. and Ludmila Schwarzenberg Hess;
Agnes Gund and Daniel Shapiro; and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.
Additional support has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc.
The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and Prague Castle Administration.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Press preview: Monday, September 19, 10:00 a.m.–noon

The Perfect Medium: Photography and the Occult
September 27–December 31, 2005

A unique characteristic of photography has always been its ability to record the visible, material world with truth and accuracy. But advocates of spiritism at the turn of the last century also enlisted photography to provide manifest proof of the immaterial: emanations and auras; thoughts, hallucinations, and dreams; or the spirits of the deceased. Closer to the scientific revelations of the X-ray (discovered in 1896) than to the double-exposure parlor tricks of 1850s ghost photographs, the more than 100 stunning and surprising works in this exhibition reflect an attempt to reconcile the physical and spiritual worlds. The exhibition is made possible in part by The Francesca Ronnie Primus Foundation, Inc. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, with the assistance of the Institut für Grenzgebiete der Psychologie und Psychohygiene, Freiburg im Breisgau, and The Howard Gilman Foundation, New York.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
Press preview: Monday, September 26, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Pearls of the Parrot of India: The Emperor Akbar's Illustrated "Khamsa," 1597–98
October 14, 2005–January 29, 2006

Poet Amir Khusrau Dihlavi's classic Khamsa (quintet of tales) was lavishly realized as one of the most sumptuous manuscripts of the early Mughal period in India. Twenty-nine surviving full-page illustrations from the manuscript are shared between the Metropolitan Museum and the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore. The unbinding of the Walters's manuscript for conservation purposes allows all painted folios to be united, together with some illuminated text pages, in this jewel-like exhibition.
The exhibition is made possible by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund.
Accompanied by a publication.

Vincent van Gogh: The Drawings
October 18–December 31, 2005

Vincent van Gogh's decadelong achievement as a draftsman (1880–90) is traced in the first major American retrospective devoted to his drawings. The selection features approximately 110 of the artist's finest works ingeniously composed in pen and ink, graphite, chalk, charcoal, and watercolor along with a group of related paintings. These graphic images, lent by the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and from 50 other public and private collections, brilliantly illustrate Vincent's own dictum: "Drawing is the root of everything."
The exhibition in New York is made possible by United Technologies Corporation.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible in part by the Janice H. Levin Fund.
The exhibition was jointly organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Press preview: Tuesday, October 11, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Santiago Calatrava: Sculpture into Architecture
October 18, 2005–January 22, 2006

Santiago Calatrava (b. 1951), the author of some of the most beautiful structures of our epoch, spends much of his time drawing and conceiving sculptures. This exhibition shows how many of the forms of his celebrated buildings originated in independent works of art. It includes approximately two dozen sculptures in marble and bronze, many drawings, and 12 architectural models, including work related to the Path Terminal at the World Trade Center site.
The exhibition is made possible by UBS.
Accompanied by a publication.
Press preview: Monday, October 17, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Fra Angelico
October 26, 2005–January 29, 2006

This first major exhibition of Fra Angelico's work since the cinquecentenary exhibition of 1955 in Florence—and the first ever in this country—reunites approximately 75 paintings, drawings, and manuscript illuminations covering all periods of the artist's career, from ca. 1410 to 1455. Included are several new attributions and paintings never before exhibited publicly, as well as numerous reconstructions of dispersed complexes, some reunited for the first time. An additional 45 works by Angelico's assistants and closest followers illustrate the spread and continuity of his influence into the second half of the 15th century.
The exhibition is made possible by the Homeland Foundation, Inc.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible in part by the Roswell L. Gilpatric Publications Fund.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Press preview: Monday, October 24, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Clouet to Seurat: French Drawings from The British Museum
November 8, 2005–January 29, 2006

This exhibition culls nearly 100 highlights representing four centuries of French master drawings from the renowned holdings of The British Museum. From the refined production of 16th-century court society to the café society of the 19th century, the elegance and innovation characteristic of French art are traced through outstanding examples of draftsmanship rarely exhibited due to their sensitivity to light. Masterpieces from the Renaissance to Postimpressionism, including works by Jean Clouet, Claude Lorrain, Antoine Watteau, Edgar Degas, and Georges Seurat, illuminate the remarkable achievements of the French artistic tradition over four centuries.

The exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is in memory of
William Slattery Lieberman
February 14, 1923–June 1, 2005
The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and The British Museum.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
Press preview: Monday, November 7, 10:00 a.m.–noon

David Milne Watercolors: "Painting Toward the Light"
November 8, 2005–January 29, 2006

Canadian painter David Milne (1882–1953) spent nearly 25 years working in the United States during the early part of his career. Much of his time was spent in New York City (1903–16), where he exhibited modernist works in the 1913 Armory Show, and in upstate New York (1916–18, 1920–21, 1924–29), where he was inspired by the natural scenery. These stays, as well as his travels in Europe during World War I, precipitated radical shifts in his subject matter and painting style. This 45-work retrospective, the first outside Canada, reintroduces Milne's watercolors to an American audience.
The exhibition is made possible by Rosamond Ivey.
The exhibition was organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.
Accompanied by a publication.
Press preview: Monday, November 7, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche
November 22, 2005–January 8, 2006

The Museum continues a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. A vivid 18th-century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive,
lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels hovering above—adorns the candlelit spruce. Recorded music adds to the enjoyment of the holiday display. Lighting ceremony Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:00.
The exhibit of the crèche is made possible by gifts to The Christmas Tree Fund and
the Loretta Hines Howard Fund.

Antonello da Messina: Sicily's Renaissance Master
December 13, 2005–February 28, 2006

Antonello da Messina (ca. 1430–1479) was one of the most groundbreaking and influential painters of the quattrocento. Trained in the brilliant artistic climate of Naples, he traveled to Venice in 1475, where his art had a profound impact on Giovanni Bellini and other Venetian painters. His portraits marked a new stage in the evolution of that genre in Italy. Thanks to an initiative organized by the Cultural Commissioner for the Sicilian Region and the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture, New York, three of his masterpieces will be on view at the Metropolitan Museum, including the compelling Virgin of the Annunciation—a work whose haunting beauty and enigmatic character can only be compared to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Press Preview: Monday, December 12, 10:00 a.m. –noon

Robert Rauschenberg: Combines
December 20, 2005–April 2, 2006

This exhibition takes a comprehensive look at the highly inventive body of work Robert Rauschenberg (b. 1925) terms "combines." It includes approximately 65 objects produced between 1954 and 1964. With these mixed-media works of art, the artist transformed the traditional technique of collage through his unconventional use of materials, such as textiles, taxidermied animals, newsprint, and photographic reproductions. Many of these works can be seen as syncopated grids composed of materials from everyday life. This selection of wall-hung and freestanding combines highlights Rauschenberg's iconic, best-known works while also bringing to light a number of his less-familiar objects.
The exhibition is made possible in part by Jane and Robert Carroll.
The exhibition was organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
Press preview: Monday, December 19, 10:00 a.m.–noon

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Samuel Palmer (1805–1881): Vision and Landscape
March 7–May 28, 2006

Samuel Palmer ranks among the most important British landscape painters of the Romantic era. This exhibition—the first major retrospective of his work in nearly 80 years—will unite approximately 100 of Palmer's finest watercolors, drawings, etchings, and oils from public and private collections in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States. The exhibition will highlight the artist's celebrated early work, executed in a visionary style inspired by William Blake, and will re-examine Palmer's vibrant middle-period Italian studies and masterful late watercolors and etchings. It will also include 20 works by artists in Palmer's circle.
The exhibition is made possible by Gilbert and Ildiko Butler.
Additional support has been provided by William G. and Grace Brantley Anderson;
The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; and The Schiff Foundation.
The exhibition was organized by The British Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
Press preview: Monday, March 6, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Kara Walker at the Met
March 21–June 25, 2006

On view will be an installation of works by contemporary American artist Kara Walker (b. 1969), who is best known for her explorations of issues of race, gender, and sexuality through the 18th-century medium of cut-paper silhouettes.
Press preview: Monday, March 20, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh
March 28–July 9, 2006

Hatshepsut, the great female pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty, ruled for two decades—first as regent for, then as co-ruler with her nephew Thutmose III (ca. 1479–1458 B.C.). During her reign, at the beginning of the New Kingdom, trade relations were being re-established with western Asia to the east and were extended to the land of Punt far to the south as well as to the Aegean Islands in the north. The prosperity of this time was reflected in the art, which is marked by innovations in sculpture, decorative arts, and such architectural marvels as Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri. In this exhibition, the Metropolitan's own extensive holdings of objects excavated by the Museum's Egyptian Expedition in the 1920s and 1930s will be supplemented by loans from other American and European museums and, possibly, by select loans from Cairo.
The exhibition is made possible by Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The Adelaide Milton de Groot Fund, in memory of the de Groot and Hawley families.
The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Accompanied by a catalogue.
Press preview: Monday, March 20, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Warriors of the Himalayas: Rediscovering the Arms and Armor of Tibet
April 5–July 2, 2006

This exhibition will be the first comprehensive study of armor, weapons, and equestrian equipment from the Tibetan plateau, a subject that has remained virtually unexplored until now. Many rare or entirely unknown examples of helmets, body armor, swords, horse armor, saddles, and stirrups will be exhibited and published here for the first time. Dating from the 13th to the 19th century, these objects will include some of the finest examples of Himalayan ironwork decorated with gold and silver and extremely rare leatherwork embellished with paint or lacquer.
The exhibition is made possible by The Brine Family Charitable Trust.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The Carl Otto von Kienbusch Memorial Fund and the Grancsay Fund.
Press preview: Monday, April 3, 10:00 a.m.–noon

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden
April 25–October 29, 2006 (weather permitting)

An installation in the most dramatic outdoor space for sculpture in New York City: The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, which offers a spectacular view of Central Park and the New York City skyline. Beverage and sandwich service will be available from 10:00 a.m. until closing, including Friday and Saturday evenings.
Press preview: Monday, April 24, 10:00 a.m.–noon

Costume Institute Exhibition
May 4–August 8, 2006

The theme of the exhibition and "Party of the Year" to benefit the Costume Institute will be announced at a later date.
Press Preview: Monday, May 1, 10:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

The Art of Girodet
May 23–August 27, 2006

This is the first American retrospective devoted to Anne-Louis Girodet (1767–1824), a favored but rebellious pupil of Jacques-Louis David. Girodet's idiosyncratic style fuses David's Neoclassical ideal with his own prescient Romantic vision. A selection of approximately 100 paintings and works on paper will reflect his originality and the diversity of his works, from mythological subjects to portraits and representations of Napoleon's military triumphs. The exhibition is supported by The Isaacson Draper Foundation.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Treasures of Sacred Maya Kings
June 13–September 10, 2006

Early in the first millennium A.D., Maya kings elaborated on an inherited tradition for interacting with supernatural powers by portraying themselves in the roles and costumes of divinities. Using specific symbolic attributes and performing conjuring rituals evoking deities and deified ancestors, the kings of city-states such as Calakmul in Mexico, Tikal in Guatemala, and Copan in Honduras rendered themselves divine. The paired natural forces of the earth and sun—the earth in the guise of the ancient Maize God and the sun in the newly important Sun God—were incorporated into the power and person of the kings. Exhibited works include items of kingly regalia, objects that depict their real and mythic actions, and works that were part of these activities. The pieces range from large-scale relief sculpture in stone, to ceramic vessels of distinctive shape, to objects of carved jade, shell, bone, and pearl.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

The Prince of Painters and the Baron of Wall Street: J. P. Morgan and the Last Raphael
June 20–September 3, 2006

In 1901, J. Pierpont Morgan acquired the last major altarpiece by Raphael still in private hands, a work that had been painted by the young artist for a convent in Perugia and that had been owned successively by the Colonna family in Rome and the King of Naples and the Two Sicilies. To obtain it, Morgan had paid the phenomenal sum of two million francs. News of the banker's acquisition caused a sensation in the press and the picture was judged to be the most important ever to cross the Atlantic. Since 1916 it has been one of the treasures of the Metropolitan Museum. This exhibition will reunite the two main panels with the scenes from its predella, which were separated from the altarpiece in 1663. A select group of drawings and paintings by Raphael produced close in time to the Colonna Altarpiece, including a preparatory study for the Metropolitan's predella panel, will also be included.
Accompanied by a Bulletin.

The Art of Betty Woodman
June 29–October 1, 2006

American-born artist Betty Woodman (b. 1930) is celebrated internationally for her contribution to contemporary ceramic sculpture and for the interrelationship between ceramics, sculpture, and painting in her work. This retrospective of her work will include some 70 examples of early utilitarian objects, large vessel groups, wall installations, paintings, and drawings.
The exhibition is made possible by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc.
Accompanied by an outside publication.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

Tony Oursler at the Met: "Studio" and "Climaxed"
Through September 18, 2005

Inspired by Gustave Courbet's The Artist's Studio: A real allegory of a seven year phase in my artistic and moral life (1855), contemporary artist Tony Oursler (b. 1957) created his own three-dimensional studio identical in size to Courbet's painting. The mixed-media installation playfully merges the artist's professional and personal lives into a narrative fashioned as allegory. A second gallery holds "Climaxed," Mr. Oursler's most recent work. For more information on the artist and his work, please visit the special companion Web site,www.tonyoursler.com/studio.
Accompanied by a related publication.

Matisse: The Fabric of Dreams
His Art and His Textiles
Through September 25, 2005

The impact of Henri Matisse's lifelong interest in textiles is revealed in a selection of approximately 75 paintings, drawings, prints, and painted paper cutouts. Also exhibited are examples from the artist's personal collection of textiles, many of which have been packed away in family trunks since Matisse's death in 1954. Of particular interest are Matisse's canvases inspired by a fragment of blue-and-white printed cotton that the artist purchased from a secondhand shop in Paris, works from the 1910s and 1920s demonstrating the influence of North African fabrics and screens, paintings featuring couture gowns and Romanian blouses, and Matisse's late paper cutouts, which are juxtaposed with his African and Polynesian textiles. The exhibition concludes with maquettes of the chasubles that Matisse designed for the Chapel of the Rosary at Vence.
The exhibition is made possible by The Philip and Janice Levin Foundation and the Janice H. Levin Fund.
Additional support has been provided by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation and the Gail and Parker Gilbert Fund.
Education programs are made possible by The Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York;
the Royal Academy of Arts, London; and Le Musée Matisse, Le Cateau-Cambrésis.
An indemnity has been granted by the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

John Townsend: Newport Cabinetmaker
Through September 25, 2005

In the second half of the 18th century, the New England seaport of Newport, Rhode Island, was a leading center of the cabinetmaking business, with members of the Townsend and Goddard families dominating the trade. Chief among them was John Townsend (1733–1809), one of colonial America's preeminent craftsmen and one of the few 18th-century cabinetmakers to sign and date his work. Some 45 of the best pieces by Townsend, more than half of them signed, form the core of this first retrospective and illustrate this cabinetmaker's unsurpassed refinement of design and precision of craftsmanship. On view are his early works in the Baroque style—tables and chairs with cabriole legs, case pieces with block-and-shell carved fronts—as well as later examples, with straight legs and incised or inlaid decoration, in the Neoclassical or Federal style. Examples of furniture by some of Townsend's peers, including John Goddard, set his work in context. Also on display is a superb chest-on-chest by Thomas Townsend, John Townsend's cousin, which was recently acquired by the Metropolitan Museum.
The exhibition is made possible by The Chilton Foundation and The Americana Foundation. Additional support has been provided by Stanley and Judith Zabar, Philip Holzer, and Alamo Rent A Car, Inc.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The William Cullen Bryant Fellows.

Sol LeWitt on the Roof: Splotches, Whirls and Twirls
Through October 30, 2005 (weather permitting)

This summer's installation by Conceptual artist Sol LeWitt includes five sculptures and one wall drawing. A prolific artist since his emergence in the mid-1960s, LeWitt is showing recent sculptures, called Splotches. With a palette of bold colors, LeWitt has created large-scale, painted fiberglass works. Their undulating, curvilinear shapes and vibrant hues brilliantly engage with the natural landscape of Central Park. LeWitt's wall drawing, Whirls and Twirls, echoes the abstract forms and vivid color of the Splotches. Taken together, these works represent a bright complement to the unique setting of The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, which offers a spectacular view of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline. Beverage and sandwich service is available from 10:00 a.m. until closing, including Friday and Saturday evenings.
The installation is made possible by a grant from Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky.

A Curator's Eye: J. Stewart Johnson at the Met, 1990–2004
Through November 6, 2005

From 1990 to 2004, J. Stewart Johnson served as the principal curator for the modern design and architecture collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. During these 14 years, he made a number of important acquisitions that augmented and reshaped an already significant collection. This exhibition presents a selection of these works, demonstrating his skill as both a connoisseur and a scholar.

Medieval Masterworks on Loan from the Morgan Library
Through January 8, 2006

The Metropolitan is displaying seven superb examples of medieval art from the Morgan Library while that facility undergoes renovation. Among them are some of the favorite works of the noted financier and collector J. Pierpont Morgan, a past president of the Metropolitan Museum, including the splendid 12th-century Stavelot Triptych and the dazzling gold and jeweled binding of the Lindau Gospel Book.

The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480–1620
Through January 15, 2006

The horse was an integral part of medieval and Renaissance culture, not only as a beast of burden but also as a sign of rank and status. For the nobility, equitation was an essential skill, both socially and militarily. Horses played a pivotal role in warfare and often wore armor as elaborate and expensive as that of their riders. Drawing exclusively from items in the reserve collection, many of them unpublished and rarely seen before, this exhibition examines various types of European horse armor in terms of style, construction, and decoration, from the peak period of its use in the late 15th century through its eventual obsolescence in the early 17th century.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Adorning the World: Art of the Marquesas Islands
Through January 15, 2006

Renowned as the final refuge of Paul Gauguin, the Marquesas Islands northeast of Tahiti were home to one of the Pacific's most accomplished traditions of sculpture and decorative art. Created to honor the archipelago's gods and ancestors, adorn the bodies of its people, and ornament the objects they used, art in the Marquesas encompassed virtually every aspect of sacred and secular life. From everyday items to the sacred images of gods and ancestors, Marquesan artists richly embellished nearly every type of object they used. Celebrated for its elegant stylization of the human image and intricately decorated surfaces, Marquesan art comprised an astonishing diversity of forms, from works in wood and stone to the most elaborate tattooing in the Pacific. Featuring works from the Metropolitan and other museums, libraries, and private collections, the exhibition explores how art captured and enhanced the central themes of secular and religious life.
The exhibition is made possible by Air Tahiti Nui and Tahiti Tourisme
(www.NYCtoTahitiNonstop.com).
Additional support has been provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Cameo Appearances
Through January 29, 2006

Spurred by the recent acquisition of a superb jasper carving of the head of Medusa by Benedetto Pistrucci, this exhibition examines the art of hard-stone carving. It traces cameo carving from Greco-Roman antiquity to the Renaissance; illuminates differences, such as those between cameos and intaglios; touches upon the making of cameo glass; and highlights the Metropolitan's splendid holdings of neoclassical Italian cameos by first-rate carvers such as Pistrucci, Girometti, and Saulini.
The exhibition is made possible by The David Berg Foundation.

The Bishop Jades
Through February 12, 2006

This selection of the most refined works from the Heber R. Bishop Collection includes carvings of jade, agate, quartz, lapis lazuli, and many other hard stones. The objects represent the sophisticated art of Chinese lapidaries during the late Qing dynasty (1644–1911) as well as the highly accomplished works of Mughal Indian jade carvers that provided an exotic inspiration to their Chinese counterparts. Also on display is a set of Chinese lapidary tools and illustrations of jade workshops, which demonstrate the traditional method of working jade.

NEW AND RECENT INSTALLATIONS

Secular and Sacred: Scholars, Deities, and Immortals in Chinese Art
September 10, 2005–January 8, 2006

In China's traditional culture, statecraft, philosophy, and religion were often seen as complementary and interrelated belief systems. An individual might subscribe to Confucianism's strong sense of ethics and social responsibility in his public life, embrace Daoist ideals of quietude and naturalness in his private life, and aspire to Buddhist salvation in the afterlife. This worldview is reflected in the arts, where the same circle of artists and patrons might create or own works that represent seemingly divergent philosophical or religious perspectives. This exhibition of more than 60 paintings, calligraphies, and related works of art explores the varied kinds of imagery that have coexisted from the 11th through the 20th century.

Masterpieces from the Permanent Collection
Through November 29, 2005

The evolution of Japanese arts is explored through this selection of works chosen from the Museum's permanent collection. The objects on view include prehistoric pottery; Buddhist and Shinto sculpture painting; ink-monochrome painting; screens from the famous Ryôanji temple, and by celebrated Rinpa masters; Ryukyu lacquerware on loan from the Florence and Herbert Irving collection; woodblock prints by 19th-century masters; and an assemblage of recently acquired contemporary ceramics.

Reopening of the Charlotte C. Weber Galleries
for the Arts of Ancient China
Reopened August 2005

Extensively renovated and now reopened to the public, these galleries have been reconfigured to accommodate an expanded presentation that includes both new purchases and gifts from a number of Museum's patrons, most notably a large collection of nomadic art from Eugene V. Thaw. Greatly enhanced by improved lighting, updated maps, and text panels, the new display offers a more comprehensive and illuminating interpretation of the complex development of ancient Chinese art.

Reconstruction and Reinstallation of Egyptian Art Galleries
Predynastic, Early Dynastic, and Roman era art galleries opened January 29, 2004
The tombs of Perneb and Raemkai opened May 2004

Highlights of this new installation in The Lila Acheson Wallace Galleries of Egyptian Art include the exposure of the original Richard Morris Hunt ceiling beams in the Predynastic/ Early Dynastic galleries (up to ca. 2650 B.C.) and in one of the two galleries devoted to the art of Roman Egypt (30 B.C. to ca. 400 A.D.), and the reconfiguration of the architecture of the tombs of Perneb and Raemkai (ca. 2350 and 2440 B.C.) to more closely resemble their original settings.
This reinstallation has been made possible by Judith and Russell Carson.

TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS

PLEASE NOTE: These exhibitions originate at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with works of art from the Museum's collections selected and organized by Museum staff members. Please confirm the opening and closing dates with the local exhibiting museums as they may be subject to change.

Light Motifs: American Impressionist Paintings from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

A selection of 27 paintings from the Museum's superb collection of works by noted American Impressionists, including Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Childe Hassam, Maurice Prendergast, and John Singer Sargent.

Anchorage Museum of History and Art, AK July 1–September 5, 2005
University of Alaska Museum of the North, September 17–November 13, 2005 Fairbanks, AK

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York:
Chefs-d'oeuvre de la peinture européenne

On view will be a selection of 50 European paintings dating from about 1500 to 1900, all drawn from the Museum's holdings.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Switzerland June 23–November 12, 2006

VISITOR INFORMATION

MAIN BUILDING HOURS

Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sundays, Tuesdays–Thursdays 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Met Holiday Mondays sponsored by Bloomberg 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
in the Main Building
July 4, September 5, October 10, and
December 26, 2005, and January 16,
February 20, and May 29, 2006
All other Mondays Closed
January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25 Closed

THE CLOISTERS HOURS

March–October:

Tuesdays–Sundays 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Mondays Closed

November–February:

Tuesdays–Sundays 9:30 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Mondays Closed

RECOMMENDED ADMISSION (INCLUDES MAIN BUILDING
AND THE CLOISTERS ON THE SAME DAY)

Adults $15.00
Senior citizens $10.00
Students $ 7.00
Members and children under 12
accompanied by adult Free

Advance tickets available at www.TicketWeb.com or 1-800-965-4827

No extra charge for any exhibition

For more information www.metmuseum.org

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August 1, 2005

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