Latest news with #TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt
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.
1News
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- 1News
Former aide says Sean 'Diddy' Combs kidnapped her in plot to kill Kid Cudi
A former top aide to Sean 'Diddy' Combs has testified that the hip-hop mogul threatened to kill her during her first day on the job and kidnapped her at gunpoint as he sought to kill rapper Kid Cudi. Capricorn Clark's account of Combs' volatility and violence launched the third week of testimony at his federal sex trafficking trial in Manhattan. Prosecutors called Clark, the former global brand director for Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment, as they work to prove he led a two-decade racketeering conspiracy that relied on beefy bodyguards, death threats and the silence of frightened staff to ensure he got what he wanted. Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty to an indictment alleging he abused his longtime girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, and others. If convicted, he could face 15 years to life in prison. ADVERTISEMENT Clark's testimony came days after Cudi, whose legal name is Scott Mescudi, testified that Clark called him from a car outside his home in December 2011 and told him Combs had forced her to accompany him to Cudi's house. Combs was angry Cudi was dating Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, Clark said. Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean "Diddy" Combs appear at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "China: Through the Looking Glass" in New York on May 4, 2015. (Source: Associated Press) Clark, who mostly referred to Combs as 'Puff' during her testimony, said he came to her home with a gun in his hand, demanded that she get dressed and come with him because 'we're going to kill Cudi.' Clark, her voice shaky at times, said they rode in a black Cadillac Escalade to Cudi's Los Angeles home, where Combs and his bodyguard entered the residence while Clark sat in the SUV and called Cassie. Clark testified she told Cassie that Combs 'got me with a gun and brought me to Cudi's house to kill him". Clark said she heard Cudi in the background asking, 'He's in my house?' She said she told Cassie, 'Stop him, he's going to get himself killed.' ADVERTISEMENT Cassie told her she couldn't stop Cudi, she recalled. Combs returned to the Escalade and asked Clark who she was talking to, Clark testified. He grabbed the phone and called Cassie back, she said. They then heard Cudi driving up the road, she said. Combs and his bodyguard got back in the SUV and chased after Cudi, finally giving up when they passed police cars that were heading for Cudi's house. After the break-in, Clark said, Combs told them that they had to convince Cudi 'it wasn't me". 'If you don't convince him of that I'll kill all you,' he said, punctuating his threat with an expletive, according to Clark. Clark said she and Cassie then went to Cudi's home, telling jurors: 'We needed to talk to him. We needed to make sure he wasn't going to make a police report about Puff." ADVERTISEMENT After that, she said she watched in shock as Combs viciously assaulted Cassie over her relationship with Cudi. Combs kicked Cassie with '100% full force" to the legs and back as she curled on the ground outside his home in a fetal position and wept silently, Clark said. Clark said her 'heart was breaking from seeing her get hit like that' and that neither she nor Combs' bodyguard intervened. The answer prompted an objection from Combs' lawyers, and Judge Arun Subramanian told jurors to disregard it. Combs' lawyer Marc Agnifilo questioned Clark's recollection, leading her to reconsider certain details. She admitted some haziness about events that happened "such a long time ago". On Thursday, Cudi testified that he dated Cassie briefly in December 2011, believing she'd broken up with Combs, but they agreed over the holidays to end the relationship. Assistant US Attorney Mitzi Steiner questioned Clark about her off-and-on employment with Combs from 2004 to 2018, beginning with her first day when she said Combs and a bodyguard took her to Central Park after 9pm and said he hadn't been aware of her past work for other rappers. ADVERTISEMENT Clark testified that Combs told her that if that work became an issue, he'd have to kill her. Clark said she was only weeks into the job when Combs tasked her with carrying diamond jewellery, and it went missing. As a result, she said, she was repeatedly given lie detector tests over a five-day stretch by a man who seemed five times larger than her own size. 'He said: 'If you fail this test, they're going to throw you in the East River,'' she recalled, adding that they eventually let her return to work. Even the alleged kidnapping didn't scare Clark away, Agnifilo noted. Last year, after federal agents raided Combs' homes, she suggested returning to his employment as his chief of staff. Combs rejected the offer, Agnifilo said.
Japan Today
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Today
Sean 'Diddy' Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie testifies at his trial about abuse and 'freak offs'
FILE - Cassie Ventura, left, and Sean "Diddy" Combs appear at The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating "China: Through the Looking Glass" in New York on May 4, 2015. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) By MICHAEL R. SISAK and LARRY NEUMEISTER Cassie, the R&B singer and former girlfriend of Sean 'Diddy' Combs, testified on Tuesday that the music mogul abused and sexually exploited her for years, as she took the witness stand for the first time during his sex trafficking trial. Sighing heavily and pausing to compose herself at times, Cassie told the New York jury about Combs forcing her into elaborate sexual marathons with male sex workers, which he called 'freak offs.' She said she didn't feel like she could say 'no' to Combs, who she said assaulted during their turbulent relationship, hitting her in the head, stomping on her and dragging her numerous times. 'Sean controlled a lot of my life, whether it was career, the way I dressed, everything, everything,' Cassie testified, later adding, 'Sean is a really polarizing person, also very charming.' Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, sued Combs in 2023 alleging years of abuse. The suit was settled within hours but dozens of similar legal claims followed, sparking the criminal investigation. She is the star witness for prosecutors who accuse Combs of using his status as a powerful executive to orchestrate a deviant empire of exploitation, coercing women into abusive sex parties and becoming violent if they refused. She is expected to return to the stand Wednesday to answer more questions from prosecutors before being cross-examined by Combs' attorneys. Lawyers for three-time Grammy winner argue that, although he could be violent, Combs never veered into sex trafficking and racketeering, telling jurors that the sexual acts were consensual. Defense attorney Teny Geragos said in opening statements on Monday that jurors might think Combs is a 'jerk' and might not condone his 'kinky sex,' but that 'he's not charged with being a jerk.' Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty. He has been jailed since his arrest in September. If convicted, could get at least 15 years and up to life in prison. Combs interacted with his lawyers during Cassie's testimony but remained largely stoic. During an afternoon break, he made a heart shape with his hands toward one of his twin daughters and mouthed 'Thank you.' He also blew a kiss toward his mother. She and Combs met in 2005 when she was 19 and he was 37. He signed her to his Bad Boy Records label and, within a few years, they started dating. Her 2006 single, 'Me & U," hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart, was certified platinum and was the lead single of her only studio album, released by Combs' label. Under questioning by a prosecutor, Cassie said their relationship ran the gamut from good times to arguments and physical altercations. Combs became increasingly controlling and sometimes violent, she said, leaving her bruised and battered. She said the abuse happened 'too frequently" and sometimes came after the smallest perceived slights. Cassie sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a tissue while on the stand. She is pregnant and would occasionally rest her hands on her belly. Her husband was in the courtroom. Now 38 years old, Cassie said she was barely 22 when Combs first asked her to do a 'freak off,' which she said stemmed from Combs' interest in voyeurism. These involved her hiring sex workers at Combs' behest for thousands of dollars and 'setting up this experience so that I could perform for Sean." 'He was controlling the whole situation. He was directing it,' she said. The encounters would go on for 36 or 48 hours, and she said the longest lasted four days. 'I was an object being heavily objectified by men in that scenario,' she testified. They took place in private, often in dark hotel rooms, unlike Combs' very public White Parties in the Hamptons that attracted A-list celebrities and gossip columnists. Her first 'freak off' occurred in Combs' Los Angeles home with a male stripper from Las Vegas, she said. She felt dirty and confused afterward, but also relieved that Combs was happy. Still, she said she felt obligated to go along with future 'freak offs." 'I just didn't want to make him upset," she said. "I just didn't want to make him angry and regret telling me about this experience that was so personal.' Cassie began crying when asked if she liked any aspect of the 'freak offs.' She said she enjoyed 'time spent with him.' She said she used drugs at every 'freak off' to numb herself during 'emotionless sex with a stranger that I didn't really want to have sex with.' The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done. Soon, she said, she was doing 'freak offs' weekly. They went on for a decade, with the final one occurring in 2017 or 2018, she said. Each time, she said, she had to recuperate from lack of sleep, alcohol, drugs and 'having sex with a stranger for days.' She described the situation as: ''Freak offs' became a job where there was no space to do anything else but to recover and just try to feel normal again.' Shown still images from the now-infamous 2016 security camera footage of Combs beating her at a Los Angeles hotel, Cassie said it happened after a 'freak off" as she was leaving. Video of the attack was shown to jurors on Monday and is a key part of the prosecution's case. After the footage was leaked last year, Combs apologized. Cassie said the 'freak offs' involved lots of baby oil and she described being humiliated by some of the things Combs made her do. During her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Johnson told the jury that Cassie was far from the only woman Combs beat and sexually exploited. Johnson said Combs last year brutally beat another woman — identified only as Jane — when she confronted him about enduring years of 'freak offs.' Combs was among the most influential hip-hop producers and executives of the past three decades, working with a slew of top-tier artists including Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige and Usher. He also created the fashion clothing line Sean John and produced the reality show 'Making the Band' for MTV. Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Angel Reese is ready to start winning in the WNBA after injuries and record-setting season
Angel Reese, left, and Megan Thee Stallion attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) Angel Reese, left, and Megan Thee Stallion attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" exhibition on Monday, May 5, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP) CHICAGO (AP) — Angel Reese's rookie year surpassed nearly all expectations. The Chicago Sky All-Star set records before her season got cut short by an injury and helped the league soar to new heights in popularity after she and the Indiana Fever's Caitlin Clark took their rivalry from the college ranks to the pros. Advertisement One thing Reese didn't do was win. Not the way she is accustomed to winning. That's something she wants to change, starting with a marquee opener at Indiana on May 17. 'I wasn't used to that," Reese said. "It just takes an adjustment. It's something that you don't want to get used to because you don't want to get in a mindset, like, 'Oh, we're just going to be losing every night.' We were right there every night.' The Sky finished 10th in the WNBA with a 13-27 record last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. The disappointing results were despite getting significant contributions from Reese and fellow rookie Kamilla Cardoso. The two young stars are back, and the team made major roster changes to give them some help. Chicago fired former coach Teresa Weatherspoon after one year and hired Las Vegas assistant Tyler Marsh to replace the Naismith Hall of Famer. Advertisement The Sky also brought in veteran leadership, including franchise career assist leader Courtney Vandersloot and acquiring two-time All-Star Ariel Atkins from Washington. Chicago hopes the additions will help Reese and Cardoso take their games to another level. 'She wants to compete, she wants to win, she's somebody that puts that above everything else," general manager Jeff Pagliocca said of Reese. "With all the time that she puts into building her brand and flying all over the world, she still has proven to us time and time again she puts basketball first. "Only a competitive player is going to have all these things in her life that are so special but still want to be the greatest player she can be.' Reese and Clark helped change the landscape of the WNBA, drawing sellout crowds and record ratings while spurring debates about the sport and society. The rivals from LSU and Iowa showcased a style and swagger that captivated the nation when they were going at it in college. Advertisement Reese, who finished second to Clark in the Rookie of the Year voting, averaged 13.6 points and a league-record 13.1 rebounds. She set a WNBA record with double-doubles in 15 straight games and finished with 26 on the season — the most ever by a rookie. Reese briefly held the mark for total rebounds with 446, only to miss the final six games with a wrist injury. While she was out, league MVP A'ja Wilson finished with 451. But while the records piled up, so did the losses. In two seasons at Maryland and two more at LSU, Reese's teams lost a total of 20 games and never dropped more than two in a row. She won an NCAA championship with the Tigers in 2023, beating Clark and Iowa in the final. Advertisement The Sky, meanwhile, lost 12 of their final 14 games last season. They dropped seven in a row before beating the Los Angeles Sparks on Sept. 6, only to have Reese suffer a hairline fracture in her left wrist that required surgery. With their star sidelined, they won their next game and lost the final five. 'Obviously, that left a bad taste in my mouth,' she said. Reese had a busy offseason, playing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league and trying to increase her range and develop into the sort of stretch power forward the Sky envision her becoming. She shot 39% last season and made just 3 of 16 3-pointers. 'We want her to be dynamic,' Marsh said. 'We want her to be able to score inside. We want to be able to create space for her to have more one-on-one finishes inside and to not have to have to feel like she's got to play in a crowd. We want to put the ball in her hands on the perimeter and allow her to facilitate and create off the dribble as well.' Advertisement Reese said the issue was more her hesitancy to take the shots than her ability to hit shots from the perimeter. 'I always just tell myself if I work out and make the shots I might as well take them in the game,' she said. Reese got a taste of the championship atmosphere when she sat courtside during the WNBA finals between New York and Minnesota. She showed up for Game 5 wearing what looked like a custom outfit split down the middle with a Liberty jersey on her left side and Lynx jersey on the right. Reese also excelled in Unrivaled. Her team Rose BC won the championship, though she missed the playoffs after hurting her surgically repaired wrist. She likes the makeup of the Sky and believes Chicago will be difficult to beat. Advertisement 'I think we have the right pieces this year,' Reese said. 'We have the great veteran leadership. We have coaches that just built a culture from the beginning and built the standards, so I'm excited.' ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How To Watch The 2025 Met Gala Arrivals And Everything To Know About The Theme
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 May has swung around again, and with it, the famous fashion event of spring, The Met Gala. Always held on the first Monday of May each year, the charity event and fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute raises an eight figure sum. More from Deadline Celebrities from all over attend the dinner, which is known for not allowing phone recordings of what happens once guests are inside. For all the details about this year's theme, the co-chairs and more, follow along below. When is the 2025 Met Gala? The 2025 Met Gala takes place May 5, 2025. How to watch the Met Gala arrivals: Vogue has a livestream to view arrivals in their finest fashion. It starts at 6 p.m. ET and 3 p.m. PT. Singer and actor Teyana Taylor, actor and producer La La Anthony and comedian and actor Ego Nwodim will host the livestream this year. Who is attending the 2025 Met Gala? So far, attendees include Simone Biles and her husband Jonathan Owens, Diana Ross, Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, Jennie of BLACKPINK, Sydney Sweeney, Lupita Nyong'o and more. What is the theme of the 2025 Met Gala? Announced in October, the Met Gala theme will reflect the Costume Institute's spring 2025 exhibition: 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.' The exhibition draws inspiration from Monica L. Miller's 2009 book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity. It is organized into 12 sections that each represent a characteristic defining dandy style — Ownership, Presence, Distinction, Disguise, Freedom, Champion, Respectability, Jook (defined in Zora Neale Hurston's Characteristics of Negro Expression —an important reference for the exhibiton—as a space for dancing, drinking, and other leisure activities), Heritage, Beauty, Cool, and Cosmopolitanism. The dress code, announced in February, is 'Tailored for You,' which focuses on the exhibition's centering of menswear and suits. Who is hosting the Met Gala 2025? Pharrell Williams, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and A$AP Rocky will cochair the 2025 Met Gala alongside Anna Wintour. LeBron James will also serve as honorary chair. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
