More than three hundred iconic works of art and stunning architectural photography bring The Met to you in this overview of one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive art museums
Encompassing over five thousand years of worldwide art and cultural history, this compact volume is the perfect introduction to The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s most popular holdings. Organized chronologically, it illuminates unexpected connections between the hundreds of featured works of art, each accompanied by a concise description that provides helpful context. Among these world-renowned objects are the Egyptian Temple of Dendur; Roman wall paintings from outside Pompeii; a Byzantine mosaic; samurai armor; Incan textiles; drawings by Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci; illustrated manuscripts from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp; ritual objects from Africa and Oceania; fashion by Christian Dior; paintings by artists from Velázquez, Rembrandt, and Vermeer to Cézanne, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Jackson Pollock; and so much more. The book also includes sweeping views of the Museum’s architecture and gallery spaces, offering a glimpse into the majesty of this National Historic Landmark that is a work of art in its own right. A must-have for art lovers and museum aficionados, this portable book encapsulates the breathtaking range of human creativity from prehistory to the present.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press