Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum in September 2007

Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf: Through September 3, 2007

The powerful and graphically elaborate sculpture from the Papuan Gulf area of the island of New Guinea is presented in a context that demonstrates how deeply embedded art was in the region's social life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The exhibition presents traditional sculptures in the form of masks, figures, and spirit boards that both represented and became the embodiment of supernatural beings that were placated, cajoled, and coaxed to attend to human needs. The exhibition focuses on these sacred objects and the contexts in which they were presented.

The juxtaposition of 19th- and 20th-century photographs with the stylistically inventive sculptures-many specifically identifiable in the photographs-presents the cultural contexts of the objects and facilitates the presentation of culturally specific ideas while creating a visual biography of the works. Additionally, the images demonstrate how early visitors used photography to record their activities, as well as to visualize and represent the art and cultural practice integral to the well-being of the communities. The selection of rare historical photographs-some exhibited for the first time-taken by early travelers to the Papuan Gulf is drawn from The Photograph Study Collection of the Metropolitan Museum's Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

The exhibition is made possible by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It was organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Accompanied by a catalogue.

One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement: Through September 3, 2007

The studio craft movement developed in the United States during the post-World War II years. By the 1970s in both Europe and the United States, a shifting political climate and an "anything goes" art scene encouraged a new freedom in artistic expression. Artists working with traditional materials began to experiment with new materials and techniques, producing bold, abstract, and sculptural art. This exhibition of approximately 50 works from the Metropolitan's collection includes furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, and fiber.

The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duke of Berry: Early September-early December 2007

On view will be all the illuminated pages of the Belles Heures painted by the Limbourg Brothers in 1405-1408/9 for Jean de France, duke of Berry. Works of art in other media acquired by the duke and other Valois princes in the opening decade of the 15th century will also be included.
Accompanied by a publication.

Abstract Expressionism and Other Modern Works: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: September 11, 2007-January 21, 2008

This exhibition will feature a selection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings from The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection, which was given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006. Formed primarily in the mid-1950s, it has long been recognized as one of the preeminent collections of Abstract Expressionism in the country and includes major canvases by Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Also featured are slightly younger American artists working in the early 1960s such as Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Claes Oldenburg, as well as select paintings and sculpture by European modernists Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Léger, and Joan Miró. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: September 11, 2007-January 6, 2008

This exhibition of all the approximately 235 Dutch paintings (dating from about 1590 to 1800) in the Metropolitan Museum will coincide with the publication of the first catalogue of the collection and celebrates Rembrandt's 400th birthday. The installation will focus on how the collection was formed and how it reflects American taste for Dutch art over the past two centuries. The exhibition is made possible by Accenture. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Lin Yutang (1895-1976): A Modern Literatus: September 15, 2007-February 10, 2008

The exhibition will feature gifts and promised gifts to the permanent collection from the family of Lin Yutang (1895-1976), one of the leading literary figures in China before the Second World War. Consisting of 43 paintings and calligraphies by 19 leading Chinese artists of the mid-20th century, this donation will significantly enhance the Museum's ability to illustrate the continued vitality of China's traditional arts in modern times.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Impressed by Light: Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860: September 25-December 31, 2007

This exhibition of British calotypes-photographs from paper negatives-will focus on the period after the 1851 introduction of glass negatives, when artists who used paper negatives did so by choice rather than by default. Contrary to the usual account of early British photography, this exhibition will vividly demonstrate that the calotype flourished, rather than faded, after 1851, encouraged by the displays at the Crystal Palace, the formation of photographic societies, and the loosening of Talbot's patent restrictions.

Artists who chose to work with the paper negative process did so either because they preferred its aesthetic qualities, because it offered practical advantages for travel photography or work in hot climates, or because it helped distinguish gentleman-amateur practitioners from the trade, which was dominated by the use of glass negatives. The exhibition will be divided into four sections: The Rise of the Calotype, 1839-1851; The Calotype in Great Britain; British Calotypists Abroad; and The Calotype in British India. The vast majority of the works included have never before been exhibited in the United States.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by Howard Stein. Press preview: Monday, September 24, 10:00 a.m.-noon -- www.metmuseum.org

Teaser

Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf: Through September 3, 2007

The powerful and graphically elaborate sculpture from the Papuan Gulf area of the island of New Guinea is presented in a context that demonstrates how deeply embedded art was in the region's social life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Body Text

The exhibition presents traditional sculptures in the form of masks, figures, and spirit boards that both represented and became the embodiment of supernatural beings that were placated, cajoled, and coaxed to attend to human needs. The exhibition focuses on these sacred objects and the contexts in which they were presented.

The juxtaposition of 19th- and 20th-century photographs with the stylistically inventive sculptures-many specifically identifiable in the photographs-presents the cultural contexts of the objects and facilitates the presentation of culturally specific ideas while creating a visual biography of the works. Additionally, the images demonstrate how early visitors used photography to record their activities, as well as to visualize and represent the art and cultural practice integral to the well-being of the communities. The selection of rare historical photographs-some exhibited for the first time-taken by early travelers to the Papuan Gulf is drawn from The Photograph Study Collection of the Metropolitan Museum's Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas.

The exhibition is made possible by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It was organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Accompanied by a catalogue.

One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement: Through September 3, 2007

The studio craft movement developed in the United States during the post-World War II years. By the 1970s in both Europe and the United States, a shifting political climate and an "anything goes" art scene encouraged a new freedom in artistic expression. Artists working with traditional materials began to experiment with new materials and techniques, producing bold, abstract, and sculptural art. This exhibition of approximately 50 works from the Metropolitan's collection includes furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, and fiber.

The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duke of Berry: Early September-early December 2007

On view will be all the illuminated pages of the Belles Heures painted by the Limbourg Brothers in 1405-1408/9 for Jean de France, duke of Berry. Works of art in other media acquired by the duke and other Valois princes in the opening decade of the 15th century will also be included.
Accompanied by a publication.

Abstract Expressionism and Other Modern Works: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: September 11, 2007-January 21, 2008

This exhibition will feature a selection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings from The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection, which was given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006. Formed primarily in the mid-1950s, it has long been recognized as one of the preeminent collections of Abstract Expressionism in the country and includes major canvases by Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Also featured are slightly younger American artists working in the early 1960s such as Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Claes Oldenburg, as well as select paintings and sculpture by European modernists Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Léger, and Joan Miró. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

The Age of Rembrandt: Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: September 11, 2007-January 6, 2008

This exhibition of all the approximately 235 Dutch paintings (dating from about 1590 to 1800) in the Metropolitan Museum will coincide with the publication of the first catalogue of the collection and celebrates Rembrandt's 400th birthday. The installation will focus on how the collection was formed and how it reflects American taste for Dutch art over the past two centuries. The exhibition is made possible by Accenture. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Lin Yutang (1895-1976): A Modern Literatus: September 15, 2007-February 10, 2008

The exhibition will feature gifts and promised gifts to the permanent collection from the family of Lin Yutang (1895-1976), one of the leading literary figures in China before the Second World War. Consisting of 43 paintings and calligraphies by 19 leading Chinese artists of the mid-20th century, this donation will significantly enhance the Museum's ability to illustrate the continued vitality of China's traditional arts in modern times.
Accompanied by a catalogue.

Impressed by Light: Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860: September 25-December 31, 2007

This exhibition of British calotypes-photographs from paper negatives-will focus on the period after the 1851 introduction of glass negatives, when artists who used paper negatives did so by choice rather than by default. Contrary to the usual account of early British photography, this exhibition will vividly demonstrate that the calotype flourished, rather than faded, after 1851, encouraged by the displays at the Crystal Palace, the formation of photographic societies, and the loosening of Talbot's patent restrictions.

Artists who chose to work with the paper negative process did so either because they preferred its aesthetic qualities, because it offered practical advantages for travel photography or work in hot climates, or because it helped distinguish gentleman-amateur practitioners from the trade, which was dominated by the use of glass negatives. The exhibition will be divided into four sections: The Rise of the Calotype, 1839-1851; The Calotype in Great Britain; British Calotypists Abroad; and The Calotype in British India. The vast majority of the works included have never before been exhibited in the United States.
The exhibition catalogue is made possible by Howard Stein. Press preview: Monday, September 24, 10:00 a.m.-noon -- www.metmuseum.org