Curator's Cut 3

More of this enjoyable series of short videos from the Metropolitan Museum filmed during lockdown highlighting recent exhibitions and specific works of art.

These are emailed to members and patrons once a week, so I hope it is OK to share the links. Most take the form of a talk from the curator’s home with a powerpoint presentation. A number of the curators have picked works which are particularly poignant at this time.

Episode 13 :American Wing Period Rooms

Moira Gallagher, Research Associate, shares a behind-the-scenes look at the American Wing's collection of period rooms and a new online resource that shares the rich stories behind these immersive, curated interiors.

Episode 14 : A Temple Singer from Ancient Thebes

Janice Kamrin examines the 2,500 year-old burial equipment of Ankhshepenwepet, a Singer in the Temple of the god Amun exploring the symbolism of her coffin, along with the other objects found in her tomb, including a mummified gazelle. 

Episode 15 : Aquamanilia - Hand Washing with Style

Join Leslie Bussis Tait, Educator for Museum Teaching. Leslie discusses the hollow-cast copper alloy vessels used for handwashing in the Middle Ages known as aquamanilia looking at three examples a cockerel, a knight horseback and a dragon swallowing a monk.

Episode 16 : Kerry James Marshall: Mastry

Ian Alteveer, Aaron I. Fleischman Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, looks back at his 2016 exhibition for The Met Breuer, Kerry James Marshall: Mastry, and its centerpiece from the Museum's collection, Marshall's Untitled (Studio), 2014. He told the life of the artist to put the work in context and then took us through the possible meanings of the work. It was interesting to hear a contemporary work described in this way. 

Episode 17: Gerard’s House of Cards

Brinda Kumar, Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, discusses how Gerhard Richter's glass works are intimately related to his painting practice through a close look at House of Cards (5 Panes), a piece from 2020 that had its debut presentation in the exhibition Gerhard Richter: Painting After All at The Met Breuer.

Episode 18: The Golden Garniture of Henry VIII

Armorer and Conservator Edward talks about his favourite object in the collection, a golden armour that is believed to have belonged to King Henry VIII. I especially enjoyed this as the armour was made in Greenwich, down the road from me, at the armoury established by Henry himself. The etching was probably designed by Holbein.

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