Latest news with #MaxHollein
New York Times
a day ago
- General
- New York Times
A Global Community Joins ‘the Conversation' at the Met's Rockefeller Wing
Round tables covered in white cloths surrounded the Temple of Dendur. Women wore fascinators, Nigerian geles and Hawaiian lei po'o, while men wore Yoruba agbadas, Hawaiian kāʻei and the occasional tuxedo, all in sartorial attempts to honor the lineage that brought them to the event. Curators, artists and archaeologists gathered for dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate the culmination of four years of work — and the legacy of a historied American family — on Friday night. They were toasting the reopening of the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing and its collection of work from Africa, the ancient Americas and Oceania. Over lobster, foie gras, wine and champagne, friends of the Met and members of the Rockefeller family mingled among the 1,726 objects in the new gallery, which cost $70 million to complete and has 40,000 square feet dedicated to the arts of those regions. 'It is a coming together of a very global community,' said Max Hollein, the chief executive and director of the Met. 'And in this time, it's so much about respecting cultural heritage in many different ways but also making sure that there's a deep understanding, a deeper appreciation.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Time Out
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time Out
First look: This historic wing of The Met just got a major update
After a four-year renovation, The Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened its galleries dedicated to the arts of Africa, the Ancient Americas and Oceania. These historic galleries, housed within the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, are packed with 1,800 artworks spanning five continents and hundreds of cultures. To celebrate the opening, the Upper East Side museum is hosting a daylong festival on Saturday, May 31 with performances, live music, art making and more. It's free with museum admission—which is always pay-what-you-wish for New Yorkers. Max Hollein, The Met's CEO, described the 40,000-square-foot Rockefeller Wing's reopening as 'much more than a renovation.' Instead, he said at a grand opening event, 'it's a re-envisioning of one of the museum's most important spaces.' Inside the galleries, you'll find several objects on view for the first time, including new acquisitions of contemporary African works and new commissions by Indigenous artists for the Oceania galleries. Also don't miss a gallery dedicated to light-sensitive ancient Andean textiles, which is the first of its kind in the United States. It's a re-envisioning of one of the museum's most important spaces. New features, such as documentary films, audio commentary, artist bios and expanded wall text, help to provide contemporary perspectives and offer deeper engagement with the work. As for the design, expect brighter galleries with a custom-designed sloped glass wall adjacent to Central Park and a dramatic entryway where curved ceilings arch above carved wooden ancestor poles made by artists in West Papua. Inside the sprawling wing, you'll find a vast exploration of cultures. For example, you can learn about manifestations of faith in the western Sahel's communities, then discover funerary carvings from New Ireland. See a golden staff from Ghanian royalty dating back to the 1930s, as well as a collection of ornate ear flares dating back to to the 1300–1400s in Peru, to name a few. To update the galleries, the museum team worked with collaborators across the globe. Signage in the galleries points out the provenance (or chain of custody) of the pieces. All of the works at The Met were acquired from private individuals who obtained the pieces in the region or through the intentional art market. Or the museum purchased the pieces from commercial galleries or public auctions. The new space was designed by WHY Architecture in collaboration with Beyer, Blinder, Belle Architects LLP and with The Met's Design Department. Each gallery's look is meant to pay homage to the architectural vernaculars of each featured region. The Rockefeller Wing first opened in 1982, beginning as the personal collection of Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller. It helped to expand the worldviews of the art inside The Met's walls. 'You will see human ingenuity and cultural ingenuity,' Hollein said. 'It's a celebration of the richness of culture, of global artistic expression and how everything is connected.' Highlights from each gallery Arts of Africa Explore The Met's collection of sub-Saharan African art through 500 works highlighting major artistic movements and living traditions from across the subcontinent. The new galleries present original creations spanning from the Middle Ages to the present, including a 12th-century fired clay figure shaped in Mali's Inner Niger Delta and the fiber creation Bleu no. 1 by acclaimed innovator Abdoulaye Konaté. A quarter of the works are on display at The Met for the first time. Arts of the Ancient Americas These galleries feature 700 works exploring the artistic legacy of Indigenous artists from across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean prior to 1600. The new galleries include monumental stone sculptures and exquisite metalwork and also include refined ceramic vessels; shimmering regalia of gold, shell, and semiprecious stone; and delicate sculptures of wood. Don't miss the new gallery devoted to ancient American textiles and featherwork, which frames a 3,000-year history of achievements in the fiber arts. Arts of Oceania Discover more than 500 years of art from this expansive region, newly framed by Indigenous perspectives. The galleries house 650 works, drawn from over 140 distinct cultures in a region of astonishing diversity. These include monumental artworks from the large island of New Guinea and the coastal archipelagos that stretch beyond its shores to the north, central, and eastern Pacific, as well as the two neighboring regions of Australia and Island Southeast Asia, whose Indigenous communities all share a common ancestry. New acquisitions broaden the collection to include the work of women, especially fiber work by senior female artists from Australia and New Guinea.
Al Etihad
20-05-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art returns sculptures to the Republic of Iraq
20 May 2025 09:44 ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Monday that it is returning three ancient works of art to the Republic of Iraq: a Sumerian vessel made of gypsum alabaster, and two Babylonian ceramic sculptures—a head of a male and a head of a female. The works range in date from the third to second millennium repatriation follows the launch of The Met's Cultural Property Initiative, which includes undertaking a focused review of works in the collection. The Met earlier initiated the repatriation of a third-millennium BCE Sumerian sculpture to the Republic of Iraq in 2024, after provenance research by Met scholars established that the work rightfully belongs to Iraq."The Met is committed to the responsible collecting of art and the shared stewardship of the world's cultural heritage and has made significant investments in accelerating the proactive research of our collection," said Max Hollein, The Met's Director and CEO."The Museum is grateful for our ongoing conversations with Iraq regarding future collaborative endeavors, and we look forward to working together to advance our shared dedication to fostering knowledge and appreciation of Iraqi art and culture," he Vessel supported by two rams (ca. 2600–2500 BCE) and the Head of a female (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) were gifted to the Met Museum in 1989 by the Norbert Schimmel Trust; the Head of a male (ca. 2000-1600 BCE) was purchased by the Museum in Head of a male, and the Vessel supported by two rams, were at one point sold by disgraced London dealer Robin Symes. Both the Head of a male, and Head of a female sculptures, are thought to be from Isin, an archaeological site in Iraq. While the Vessel supported by two rams is not known to be associated with a particular site in Iraq, it appeared on the Baghdad art market, was purchased by Swiss dealer Nicolas Koutoulakis by 1956 and later acquired by Cecile de the Museum's cooperation with the Manhattan DA's office, and as a result of its investigation into Robin Symes, the museum recently received new information that made it clear that the works should be repatriated, resulting in a constructive resolution. Cultural Property InitiativeIn spring 2023, The Met announced a suite of initiatives related to cultural property and collecting practices that include undertaking a focused review of works in the collection; hiring additional provenance researchers to join the many researchers and curators already doing this work at the Museum; further engaging staff and trustees; and using The Met's platform to support and contribute to public discourse on this topic. The Met engages with countries around the globe as part of its commitment to the shared stewardship of the world's cultural heritage and has established a number of key international this year, following collaborative research, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Hellenic Republic of Greece announced the return of a 7th century BCE Bronze Head of a Griffin to Greece, which will be loaned back to The Met for an exhibition in recent agreements include the transfer of ownership of two stone sculptures to the Republic of Yemen, which resulted in a historic custodial agreement stating that The Met will care for and display the stone sculptures until Yemen wishes to have them returned. Following that agreement, 14 ancient sculptures that were voluntarily repatriated to the Republic of Yemen from the Hague family collection located in New Zealand were loaned to The Met by the Republic of Yemen, who requested that the objects be held at the Museum, where they will be studied and catalogued, until Yemen requests their return. As part of a commitment to transparency, The Met has launched object webpages for all restituted works of art, specifying that the object has been returned and to what country. The Museum has also embraced a New York State law passed in August 2022 that requires museums to publicly identify any artworks in their collection that changed hands in Europe during the Nazi era (1933–1945) due to involuntary means, with more than 50 updated object labels now installed.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Met Gala 2025: A$AP Rocky, Zendaya, and Cardi B Hit the Red Carpet
The 2025 Met Gala is in full swing, with celebrities from every discipline descending on the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a night of high fashion. This year, attendees will celebrate the theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' which was inspired by the 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity by Monica Miller, who curated the accompanying Costume Institute exhibit. The 2025 edition has already raised the most money in its 77-year history, bringing in $31 million to the museum. '[It's] an environment of celebration, of support, and of meaning,' Max Hollein, the director and chief executive of the Met, told The New York Times. More from Rolling Stone Sultry Savings: Skims' Bi-Annual Sale Is Offering Deals on Pop Icon Charli XCX And Sabrina Carpenter-Approved Basics Billie Eilish Says Met Gala Images of Her Are Fake: 'That's AI' No, Megan Thee Stallion Was Not Banned From the Met Gala for Using Her Phone This year's event is co-hosted by Anna Wintour, alongside actor Colman Domingo, musicians A$AP Rocky and Pharrell Williams, and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton. Basketball icon LeBron James serves as the charity event's honorary chair. Tap through our gallery to see some of the standout looks from this year's red carpet. Best of Rolling Stone Every Super Bowl Halftime Show, Ranked From Worst to Best The United States of Weed Gaming Levels Up
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Met Gala Breaks Record With $31 Million Raised
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways Five hundred people RSVP-ed to Monday morning's media preview for 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the majority appeared to show up to tour the show before it bows to the public on Saturday. Beforehand, attendees got a primer about dandyism, the exhibition's undercurrent. They also were reminded by the Met's director and chief executive officer Max Hollein that the museum is 'having a little party tonight aka the Met Gala.' And this year's annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute is a record-breaker at $31 million. More from WWD That was 'quite a jump' compared to last year's total of $26 million, Hollein said after the program. As for how that happened in such economically and geopolitically shaky times, he said, 'The level of support, enthusiasm and importance of what we do is significant, especially this show, which is not only a celebration of Black designers, but it's also a statement. It's an important exhibition about history. That all comes to the fore. That's what a lot of our supporters felt — that it is meaningful and important.' 'And the Met Gala is just an outstanding place to be connected. We see continuously growing support for that,' Hollein said, adding that the gala's fundraising allows the Met to not only operate the Costume Institute, but also 'to further expand on the stories that it wants to tell and the collections that it needs to and wants to preserve,' according to Hollein. A preview of the Met's 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' exhibit. Condé Nast's chief content officer and Vogue's editor in chief Anna Wintour has been leading that charge since she started cochairing the Met Gala in 1995 with the exception of the 1996 and 1998 events. In 2014, the Costume Institute was renamed for Wintour. Condé Nast provides support for the Met Gala but Louis Vuitton is this year's lead sponsor. Andrew Bolton, Colman Domingo and Max Hollein attend the press preview of 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' Thom Browne, Tory Burch, Jacques Agbobly, Stephen Jones and Jeffrey Banks were among the designers in the crowd, as well as Tony-winning costume designer Dede Ayite, the CFDA's Steven Kolb, Condé Nast's chief executive officer Roger Lynch, the model Abdou Ndoye and fashion historian Lana Turner. Wearing a fuchsia Ozwald Boateng suit, the actor Colman Domingo, one of the cochairs of the Met Gala, spoke movingly about how his stepfather, his biological father and his brother influenced his sense of style. He also singled out André Leon Talley, Dapper Dan, Boateng, Sidney Poitier, Prince, Harry Belafonte, James Baldwin, and Met Gala cochairs Pharrell Williams and A$AP Rocky. The Costume Institute's chief curator Andrew Bolton spoke of how Talley was a catalyst for 'Superfine,' due to how one of the obituaries after his death in 2022 referenced him as 'a true dandy, like those in favorite novels by Balzac and Baudelaire.' Bolton also noted how the spring exhibition is the Costume Institute's first that addresses race and is its first menswear-focused show in 20-plus years. As for what Talley might have thought of his role in 'Superfine,' one of his former Vogue colleagues, Hamish Bowles, said afterward, 'I think André would be bowled over by it. It's vindication in a way of everything that he stood for.' A John Galliano-designed navy wool twill coat, monogrammed Louis Vuitton luggage and a caftan that belonged to Talley are on view. Fittingly, in 1974, two years after Talley earned a master's degree from Brown University, he worked at the Met's Costume Institute for Diana Vreeland dressing mannequins for the 'Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design' exhibition. Superfine's guest curator, Monica L. Miller, whose 2009 book 'Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity,' was a starting point for the exhibition, opened her remarks by reading from Ralph Ellison's 'Invisible Man' and emphasizing the question that the novel asks, 'Well, what design and whose?' While the show does not set out to answer that question, Miller said that dandyism by definition is an act of a refusal and noted that dandies can push boundaries of gender, class, sexuality, race, and Blackness. Thom Browne and Tory Burch at the preview. After the program wound down, most of the attendees headed for the exhibition, where menswear by Botter, Virgil Abloh, Grace Wales Bonner, Bianca Saunders, Theophilio, Marvin Desroc, LaQuan Smith, Maximilian Davis for Ferragamo and other Black designers are on display. There, they also found mannequins designed by Tanda Francis and Joyce Fung. Francis said she was inspired by the Sapeur culture of Congo, where clothing was used to rebel against colonizers. 'As I suspect is true today, without anything, they would make the look happen and literally stop traffic to get their message across,' Francis said. Francis said that seeing the work in progress in the galleries caused her to literally take a step back. 'I've seen one head for so long, and to see them multiplied and having completely different attitudes and personalities depending what they had on was a stunning thing to see.' Fashion historian Turner said, 'Monica Miller, an academic, has had her work become a place for international thinking. It could stay in the halls of academia, where the book has sat for a minute — other than for people, who think about fashion.' Instead of just presenting the notion of Black dandies, Miller's curating is prompting people to talk about its history 'in a place that most people wouldn't think about, and now that is finding its way into the consciousness of people who weren't thinking about that,' Turner said. Monday's preview also provided a first glimpse of the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style' shop, where designs from Johnny Nelson, Denim Tears, Brother Vellies, L'Enchanteur, Off-White and Pat McGrath Labs can be found. View Gallery Launch Gallery: Met Gala 2025 Red Carpet Arrivals Photos, Live Updates Best of WWD Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
