Offering a fresh look at Oceanic art that incorporates new scholarship and perspectives from Indigenous voices, this book is an essential resource on the diverse nations and communities of the Pacific Islands
The first book to study Vincent van Gogh's fascination with cypresses, the "tall and dark trees" that feature in some of his most iconic pictures
With new photography of extraordinarily rare works of art, this pioneering study features discoveries and research essential to understanding the origins and meaning of Buddhist artistic traditions
A compelling look at the aesthetic and historical significance of Lagerfeld's work-from his elegantly tailored pieces for Chanel to the witty, playful ensembles that came to define the Lagerfeld brand
A comprehensive and timely exploration of the key role Jerusalem played in shaping the art and culture of the Middle Ages
A provocative study of a freedman painter that recognizes the labor of enslaved artists and artisans in seventeenth-century Spain
The first comprehensive, posthumous monograph and retrospective on Bernd and Hilla Becher, best known for their photographs of industrial structures in Europe and North America
An unprecedented look at the little-known paintings from Louise Bourgeois's early years in New York that laid the groundwork for her sculptural practice
A pioneering study of how Picasso, Braque, and Gris engaged with the pictorial tradition of illusion and deception in their influential Cubist works
A fascinating new look at the artistic legacy of the Tudors, revealing the dynasty's influence on the arts in Renaissance England and beyond
An indispensable introduction to the evolution of Buddhist imagery from its origins in India through its spread to China, Japan, and South Asia
For more than 2,000 years, sublime works of art have been created to embody essential aspects of Buddhist thought, which developed and evolved as its practice spread from India to East Asia and beyond. How to Read Buddhist Art introduces this complex visual tradition to a general audience by examining sixty seminal works. Beginning with the origins of representations of the Buddha in India, and moving on to address the development of Buddhist art as the religion spread across Asia, this book conveys how Buddhist philosophy affected artistic works and practice across cultural boundaries.
Reliquaries, sculptures, and paintings produced in China, the Himalayas, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia provide insight into the rich iconography of Buddhism, the technical virtuosity of their makers, and the social and political climate in which they were created. Beautiful photographs of the artworks, maps, and a glossary of the major Buddhist deities offer an engaging and informative setting in which readers-regardless of their familiarity with Buddhism-can better understand the art related to the religion's practices and representations.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
A comprehensive exploration of the rich visual culture inspired by the exceptional 11th-century literary masterpiece, from early screen paintings through contemporary manga
With its vivid descriptions of imperial society, gardens, and architecture in early 11th-century Japan, The Tale of Genji-recognized as the world's first psychological novel-has captivated audiences around the globe and inspired artistic traditions for 1,000 years. This handsomely designed and illustrated book explores the outstanding art associated with Genji through in-depth essays and discussions of nearly 120 works.
TheTale of Genji has influenced all forms of Japanese artistic expression, from intimately scaled albums and fans to boldly designed hanging scrolls and screen paintings by the most esteemed artists and calligraphers of every school and era. Scenes from the tale adorn decorative objects used in everyday life, including robes, lacquer boxes, containers for grooming tools and writing implements, incense burners, and even palanquins for transporting young brides to their new homes. The authors, both art historians and Genji scholars, discuss the tale's transmission and reception over the centuries; illuminate its place within the history of Japanese literature and calligraphy; highlight its key episodes and characters; and explore its wide-ranging influence on Japanese culture, design, and aesthetics into the modern era.
In this important and timely publication, top international scholars present current research and developments about the art, archaeology, and history of the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Syria. Palmyra became tragic headline news in 2015, when it was overtaken by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which destroyed many of its monuments and artifacts. The essays in this book include new scholarship on Palmyra's origins and evolution as well as developments from both before and after its damage by ISIS, providing new information that will be relevant to current and future generations of art historians and archaeologists. The book also includes a moving tribute by Waleed Khaled al-Asa'ad to his father, Khaled al-Asa'ad, the Syrian archaeologist and head of antiquities at Palmyra, who was brutally murdered by ISIS in 2015 for defending the site.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Featuring more than 100 extraordinary pieces from around the world and spanning thousands of years, this book displays the astounding diversity of musical instruments. Highlights include Bronze Age cymbals, the earliest known piano, violins made by Stradivari, slit drums from Oceania, and iconic 20th-century American guitars. Stunning new photographs reveal these objects to be works of musical and visual art-marvels of technology and masterpieces of design. Each object is explored in fascinating text describing its historical use; its sound or the technological developments that gave rise to the form of music played upon it; details about its notable makers, owners, or players; or its construction and decoration. Related works-paintings, textiles, statues, and pottery that depict instruments and music making-complement and further illuminate the narrative which provides a lively and insightful appreciation of musical instruments that will appeal to art and music lovers everywhere.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
The first comprehensive English monograph on an outstanding 17th-century artist
A beautifully illustrated book showcasing masterpieces of European porcelain from The Met's renowned collection
The quest to discover the process of making porcelain was one of the defining aspects of post-Renaissance Europe, and it had significant artistic, technical, and commercial ramifications. This beautifully illustrated book showcases ninety works, spanning the late 16th to the mid-19th century, and reflecting the major currents of European porcelain production. Each work is shown in glorious new photography, accompanied by analysis and interpretation by one of the leading experts in European decorative arts. Featuring blue-and-white wares from Italy, rare examples of German Meissen, French Sevres, British Chelsea porcelain, and much more, this is a long-overdue survey of the greatest porcelain treasures from The Met's vast collection.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
A lavishly illustrated monograph that spans the entire career of Gerhard Richter, one of the most celebrated contemporary artists
"Spans the contemporary German artist's six-decade career. . . . [A] stirring exhibition in [its] own right."-New York Times"[A] weighty catalogue... illuminat[es] some less-visited corners of Richter's oeuvre."-New York Review of Books Over the course of his acclaimed 60-year career, Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) has employed both representation and abstraction as a means of reckoning with the legacy, collective memory, and national sensibility of post-Second World War Germany, in both broad and very personal terms. This handsomely designed book features approximately 100 of his key canvases, from photo paintings created in the early 1960s to portraits and later large-scale abstract series, as well as select works in glass. New essays by eminent scholars address a variety of themes: Sheena Wagstaff evaluates the conceptual import of the artist's technique; Benjamin H. D. Buchloh discusses the poignant Birkenau paintings (2014); Peter Geimer explores the artist's enduring interest in photographic imagery; Briony Fer looks at Richter's family pictures against traditional painting genres and conventions; Brinda Kumar investigates the artist's engagement with landscape as a site of memory; Andre Rottmann considers the impact of randomization and chance on Richter's abstract works; and Hal Foster examines the glass and mirror works. As this book demonstrates, Richter's rich and varied oeuvre is a testament to the continued relevance of painting in contemporary art.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
Exhibition Schedule:The Met Breuer, New York
(March 4-July 5, 2020)
Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
(August 14, 2020-January 19, 2021)
An exhibition catalogue accompanying a future Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press
The first exploration of the artistic and cultural intersections of the African continent and the Byzantine world
In the summer of 1905, the French painters Henri Matisse and Andre Derain changed the course of art history with their radical color experiments
New scholarship on a little-known decorative commission undertaken by Pablo Picasso offers insight into the artist's painting process and the evolution of Cubism
The first publication on the personal and professional relationship between Manet and Degas, two giants of nineteenth-century French art
Reveals how American art in the 1930s-intertwined with the political, social, and economic tumult of an era not so unlike our own-engaged with the public amid global upheaval