What happens when the unbreakable shatters?
On this episode of the @metmuseum podcast Immaterial, go behind the scenes of the dramatic repair of an important Renaissance sculpture that fell and broke into dozens of pieces. Stone objects like these were made to survive decay and destruction, but from the moment that stone is extracted from the earth, it is bound to become a more fragmented version of itself—chiseled, chipped, and sometimes shattered over time. Explore how cracks and cavities in stone sculptures reveal complex stories of our humanity.
🎧 Tap the link in bio to hear from curators, conservators, mountaineers, and scholars. #ImmaterialPodcast
Don’t hit snooze—today’s the day! 🌸🌱🌊✨ Get a sneak peek of our new exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” which opens to the public this Friday, May 10 and will be celebrated tonight at The Met Gala.
Which garment are you most excited to see in the exhibition?
#ReawakeningFashion#CostumeInstitute
I MET THE #1 CHILD ART CRITIC AT @metmuseum
full episode in bio!!
We stopped by the @metmuseum for #MetFest and met some big time art scholars who reminded us art is for everyone. #TheMet#metmuseum
From exile and slander to natural disasters and divine retribution, discover the legendary origin of the Kitano Tenjin shrine. ⚡️
See this scroll on view at The Met in the exhibition “Anxiety and Hope in Japanese Art,” which explores the twin themes of anxiety and hope, with a focus on the human stories in and around Japanese art and art making.
📜 Artist unknown (Japan,1185–1333). Illustrated Legends of the Kitano Tenjin Shrine (Kitano Tenjin engi emaki), late 13th century. Set of five handscrolls; ink, color, and cut gold on paper.
In the 18th century, floral imagery was the most popular source of patterning for dress. Painted silks from China were extremely fashionable in the West in the second half of the 18th century—to the point that some European manufacturers began to imitate the technique. This robe à la française is a rare example of one of these copies.
Experience this dress “reawakened” in “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” through September 2.
👗Unidentified maker. Robe à la française, 1740s. Silk, pigment, linen.
Explore exceptional works of decorative arts across time and place. ✨
Join Met curator Medill Higgins Harvey as she explores the objects that inspired Edward C. Moore, the visionary who led Tiffany & Co. to success in the late 19th century.
Visit “Collecting Inspiration: Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co.” now through October 20 to see over 180 extraordinary pieces from Moore’s personal collection, alongside 70 magnificent silver objects designed and created at Tiffany & Co. under his direction.
🎞️ Head to the link in bio to watch the full #MetCollectingInspiration tour.
Celebrate #Pride with The Met all year long.🌈
Introducing Watson Library's latest resource: the Index of LGBTQIA+ Artists!
This index currently includes 394 artists that appear in our online catalog and will expand as we identify more artists in our holdings and grow our collection.
Check out these books featuring LGBTQIA+ artists that you can find in the index and head to the link in the bio to discover more.
📚 Title page of Christopher Reed’s "Art and Homosexuality: A History of Ideas" (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011) features a panel from the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
📚 Gill, Lyndon, Erotic Islands: Art and Activism in the Queer Caribbean (Durham: Duke University Press, 2018)
📚 Hernandez, Jasmin, We Are Here: Visionaries of Color Transforming the Art World (New York: Abrams, 2021)
📚 Works by Joey Terrill in C. Ondine Chavoya and David Evans Frantz, Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. (Los Angeles, C.A.: ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives at the USC Libraries, 2017)
Not lion, would not want to encounter this guy in a dark alley 🦁
This tapestry fragment represents a fabulous lion-like beast with pointed teeth, clawed feet, a scaly rump—this fabulous lion-like beast is derived from similar creatures illustrated in classical texts like the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries, represent vices.
Here the figures posed with them seem to have tamed their libidinous cravings.
Such tapestries were displayed in homes providing decoration as well as insulation.
🎨 Unidentified maker. Fragment of a Tapestry or Wall Hanging, ca. 1420–30. Made in Basel, Switzerland. Upper Rhenish. Tapestry weave: wool on linen.
Happy World #PrideDay ! 🌈✨
Artist Richmond Barthé, a prominent mid-20th-century figurative sculptor, produced this work "Boxer" as a celebration of Black athleticism and an expression of personal queer identity.
The sculpture commemorates Cuban lightweight prizefighter Eligio Sardiñas Montalvo, whose nickname was "Kid Chocolate." In this work, Barthé recalled that Montalvo "moved like a ballet dancer," twisting in two directions while perched on the balls of his feet.
By portraying the boxer as a sensuous nude lithely stepping forward, Barthé drew upon the Classical traditions of Western art to obliquely allude to his own identity during a time of circumspection for many in the gay community.
See this work on view now through July 28 in the exhibition "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism".
🎨 Richmond Barthé (American, 1901–1989). Boxer, 1942. Bronze.
Mirror mirror on the wall🪞✨
There is more than meets the eye in this 16th-century mirror. During this time, painted mistress portraits were frequently concealed behind shutters or curtains.
Only an actively engaged voyeur could behold the subject—a convention that served to heighten the erotic content of the image by arousing desire and underscoring the forbidden aspect of the painting.
LAST CHANCE—Experience the intrigue of this mirror along with many other multisided portraits in the exhibition “Hidden Faces: Covered Portraits of the Renaissance” now through July 7.
🎨 Unknown artist. Tabernacle mirror frame, 1540-60. Walnut.
What stories would you leave behind for future generations? ✨
Families visited @metgreekandroman to explore the rich history of Greek pottery, and discover how ancient people painted significant aspects of their lives on clay vases.
Inspired by The Museum of Cycladic Art @cycladic_museum kids art contest "Today's Stories on Ancient Vases," children learned about the significance of Greek pottery and created their own unique designs.
Swipe to see highlights from this fun-filled day where art of the past inspired artists of the future!
In Episode 2 of the #ImmaterialPodcast , Shania Hall shares the story of her life and her first-ever trip to New York to see her photograph in person.
Join us as we dive into the artistic journeys of artists like Hall and @rachelwhitereadofficial . Explore the transformative power of art and how the material of space can convey meanings that nothing else can.
Tap the link in our bio to listen! 🎧
