11 I1GWS r6lG3S8 The Metropolitan Museum of Art Communications Department 1000 , New York, NY 10028-0198 tel 212-570-3951 fax 212-472-2764 email [email protected] For release: Immediate ARCHIVES 3 COPIES PLEASE POST Contact: Elyse Topalian

SCHEDULE OF EXHIBITIONS JANUARY-APRIL 2007

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: Information provided below is subject to change. To confirm scheduling and dates, call the Communications Department at (212) 570-3951. CONTACT NUMBER FOR USE IN TEXT IS (212)535-7710.

New Exhibitions page 1 Upcoming Exhibitions page 3 Continuing Exhibitions page 10 New and Recent Installations page 14 Traveling Exhibitions page 17 Visitor Information page 18

OF SPECIAL NOTE:

• A new museum within the Metropolitan Museum is opening on April 20 with the public unveiling of the majestic New Greek and Roman Galleries, including the Leon Levy and Shelby White Court for Roman art (see page 3). • Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali, opening March 7, displays more than 300 works that offer new insights into the progressive movements that sustained Barcelona's quest for modernity and confirmed it as a hub of radicalism in Spain (see below). • Opening March 27, Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797 examines how and why Venetian artwork was influenced and inspired by the Islamic world over a thousand-year period (see page 2). • To be added to the e-mail list, please contact us at [email protected].

NEW EXHIBITIONS

Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali March 7-June 3, 2007 The first comprehensive exhibition of its type ever mounted in America, Barcelona and Modernity: Gaudi to Dali explores the diverse and innovative work of Barcelona's artists, architects, and designers in the years between the Barcelona Universal Exposition of 1888 and the imposition of the Fascist regime of Francisco Franco in 1939. The exhibition offers new insights into the art movements that advanced the city's quest for modernity and confirmed it as the NEW EXHIBITIONS PAGE 2

primary center of radical intellectual, political, and cultural activities in Spain. Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, and Antoni Gaudi are among the internationally renowned artists who contributed to the creative vitality of Barcelona. On view will be some 300 remarkable works in a range of media: painting, sculpture, drawings, prints, posters, decorative objects, furniture, architectural models, and design. The exhibition is made possible by the Caixa Catalunya. Obra Social and the Generalitat de Catalunya. Additional support is provided by Angelo, Gordon & Co. The exhibition is also made possible in part by Jane and Robert Carroll and The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation. It was organized by The Cleveland Museum of Art and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in association with Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, March 5, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Incisive Images: Ivory and Boxwood Carvings from the Renaissance and Baroque March 13-November 25, 2007 Small in scale but grand in impact, ivory sculpture starred in private collections throughout the Renaissance and Baroque, particularly in the courts of Central Europe, where the art form reached its apogee. The fine grain and lustrous texture of this exotic material permitted virtuoso carvers to extract maximum expression within the miniature format prized for the intimate spaces of collectors' cabinets and church treasuries. The exhibition of more than 50 works formed in ivory (and equally fine-grained boxwood), largely drawn from Museum storage, features freestanding sculptures as well as intricately carved armaments and a few lavish furnishings. The exhibition is made possible by The David Berg Foundation.

Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797 March 27-July 8, 2007 This exhibition examines the relationship between Venice and the Islamic world over a thousand-year period, focusing on artistic and cultural ideas that originated in the Near East and were channeled, absorbed, and elaborated in Venice, a city that represented a commercial, political, and diplomatic magnet on the shores of the Mediterranean. The underlying theme of the exhibition focuses on the reasons why a large number of Venetian paintings, drawings, printed books, and especially decorative artworks were influenced by and drew inspiration from the Islamic world and from its art. "Orientalism" in Venice was based on direct contact with the Islamic world, which brought about new technological, artistic, and intellectual information. These Venetian objects are studied vis-a-vis works of Islamic art, providing an immediate, comparative visual reference. A continuous thread throughout the exhibition deals with the works of Islamic art that entered Venetian collections in historical times and explores the nature of the artistic relationship between Venice and the Mamluks in Egypt, the Ottomans in Turkey, and the Safavids in Iran. The exhibition is made possible by The Hagop Kevorkian Fund. Additional support is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the

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Oceanic Heritage Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, and the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, March 26, 10:00 a.m.-noon

New Greek and Roman Galleries Opening April 20, 2007 The opening of this majestic, new complex of Hellenistic, South Italian, Etruscan, and Roman galleries—an entire wing housing some 5,300 objects in more than 30,000 square feet— completes the re-installation of the permanent galleries of the Department of Greek and Roman Art. The galleries present Hellenistic art and its legacy alongside those of Southern Italy and Etruria, forming the background to the story of Rome from the Late Republican period and the Golden Age of Augustus's Principate to the conversion of Constantine the Great in A.D. 312. The centerpiece of the new installation is the Leon Levy and Shelby White Court for Roman art, a dramatic, skylit space that links the various galleries and themes. These include displays of the art of Magna Graecia and the world of the Etruscans, together with the stunning collection of Roman wall paintings that is unrivaled outside of Italy. The presentation of the art of the Late Hellenistic and Early Imperial periods is crowned by the newly reconstructed cubiculum from the villa at Boscoreale near Pompeii and the Black Bedroom from Boscotrecase. In addition, on the mezzanine floor overlooking Fifth Avenue, there is a large display of study material covering the entire cultural and chronological span of the department's collection. Accompanied by a publication. Press preview: Monday, April 16, 10:00 a.m.-noon

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS

Frank Stella on the Roof May 1-October 28, 2007 (weather permitting) An installation of recent works in stainless steel and etched aluminum by the prolific American artist Frank Stella, set in the most dramatic outdoor space for sculpture in : The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, which offers a spectacular view of Central Park and the skyline. The installation is made possible by a grant from Cynthia Hazen Polsky and Leon B. Polsky. Press preview: Monday, April 30, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Frank Stella: Painting into Architecture May 1-July 29, 2007 For more than a decade, the American artist Frank Stella has been designing various structures, from a band shell, to a house, to a museum. This exhibition will focus on several projects, displaying drawings, small and large models, and related paintings and sculptures. Press preview: Monday, April 30, 10:00 a.m.-noon

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Poiret May 9-August 5, 2007 In the annals of fashion history, Paul Poiret (1879-1944) is best remembered for freeing women from corsets and further liberating them through pantaloons. However, it was Poiret's remarkable innovations in the cut and construction of clothing, made all the more remarkable by the fact that he could not sew, that secured his legacy. Working with fabric directly onto the body, Poiret helped to pioneer a radical approach to dressmaking that relied more on the skills of drapery than on those of tailoring. Focusing on his technical ingenuity and originality, the exhibition will explore Poiret's modernity in relation to and as an expression of the dominant discourses of the early 20th century, including Cubism, Classicism, Orientalism, Symbolism, and Primitivism. The exhibition and its accompanying book are made possible by Balenciaga. Additional support is provided by Conde Nast. Press preview: Monday, May 7, 10:00 a.m.-l:00 p.m.

Gabriel Orozco May 15-September 3, 2007 Although rooted in the materials and cultural traditions of his native Mexico, Gabriel Orozco finds inspiration, collaboration, and opportunity around the world. His ephemeral sculptures—sand on a table, a shoebox in snow, clay bearing the imprint of his hand—are given longer life by way of photography. Whether recording one of his own interventions in the landscape or a found situation, his photographs remind one of the fleeting beauty to be found in simple things and chance occurrences if we will but open our eyes and minds. In this exhibition, Orozco's photographs will be augmented by drawings, collages, and small sculptural objects drawn from local collections.

Impressionist and Early Modern Paintings: The Clark Brothers Collect May 22-August 19, 2007 More than 60 celebrated masterpieces owned by rival brother collectors— (1877-1956), founder of the Sterling and Francine in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and Stephen Carlton Clark (1882-1960), a former trustee and illustrious donor to The Metropolitan Museum of Art—will be brought together in this unprecedented exhibition. Never before seen ensemble, the most treasured paintings from Sterling Clark's collection, including works by such 19th-century masters as Degas, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Homer, and Sargent, will be seen side-by-side with commanding works by Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Seurat, Eakins, and Hopper, which held pride of place in Stephen Clark's collection. The brothers' "silent rivalry" will be given currency through works that invite comparison, such as two early self-portraits by Degas and similar rustic scenes by Homer and Remington, from their respective collections. Their mutual admiration for Renoir is highlighted in grand form by the artist's Sleeping Girl with a Cat and At the Concert from Sterling's collection, and A Waitress at Duval's Restaurant and Madame Henriot in Costume from Stephen's collection. The exhibition—which marks the 50th anniversary of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute—will provide a unique opportunity to appreciate the remarkable legacies of these

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two brothers, both heirs to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune and native New Yorkers, who played influential but ultimately divergent roles as patrons of the arts in the . The exhibition is made possible by the Gail and Parker Gilbert Fund and the Janice H. Levin Fund. It was organized by the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, May 21, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Neo Rauch at the Met May 22-September 23, 2007 On view will be six new paintings made specifically for this exhibition by the Leipzig artist Neo Rauch, one of the most widely acclaimed painters of his generation. Shaped by the experience of growing up in East Germany, Rauch's paintings teeter between Surrealism and Social Realism and defy easy interpretation. Viewers are drawn into scenes replete with strange beings and ambiguous landscapes. With a distinctive palette of bright acidic colors contrasting with deep shadows, the artist's paintings conjure up an atmosphere of confused nostalgia and failed Utopias. This showing will be the third in a new series dedicated to artists at midcareer, featuring Tony Oursler in 2005 and Kara Walker in 2006. Press preview: Monday, May 21, 10:00 a.m.-noon

The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, Duke of Berry Early September-early December 2007 On view will be all the illuminated pages of the Belles Heures painted by the Limbourg Brothers in 1405-1408/9 for Jean de France, duke of Berry. Works of art in other media acquired by the duke and other Valois princes in the opening decade of the 15th century will also be included. Accompanied by a publication.

Abstract Expressionism and Other Modern Works: The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art September 11, 2007-February 3, 2008 This exhibition will feature a selection of paintings, sculptures, and drawings from The Muriel Kallis Steinberg Newman Collection, which was given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2006. Formed primarily in the mid-1950s, it has long been recognized as one of the preeminent collections of Abstract Expressionism in the country and includes major canvases by Willem de Kooning, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. Also featured are slightly younger American artists working in the early 1960s such as Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Claes Oldenburg, as well as select paintings and sculpture by European modernists Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Leger, and Joan Miro. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

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The Age of : Dutch Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art September 11, 2007-January 6, 2008 This exhibition of all the approximately 235 Dutch paintings (dating from about 1590 to 1800) in the Metropolitan Museum will coincide with the publication of the first catalogue of the collection and celebrates Rembrandt's 400th birthday. The installation will focus on how the collection was formed and how it reflects American taste for Dutch art over the past two centuries. The exhibition is made possible by Accenture. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, September 10, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Lin Yutang (1895-1976): A Modern Literatus September 15, 2007-February 10, 2008 The exhibition will feature gifts and promised gifts to the permanent collection from the family of Lin Yutang (1895-1976), one of the leading literary figures in China before the Second World War. Consisting of 43 paintings and calligraphies by 19 leading Chinese artists of the mid-20th century, this donation will significantly enhance the Museum's ability to illustrate the continued vitality of China's traditional arts in modern times. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Impressed by Light: Photographs from Paper Negatives, 1840-1860 September 25-December 31, 2007 This exhibition of British calotypes—photographs from paper negatives—will focus on the period after the 1851 introduction of glass negatives, when artists who used paper negatives did so by choice rather than by default. Contrary to the usual account of early British photography, this exhibition will vividly demonstrate that the calotype flourished, rather than faded, after 1851, encouraged by the displays at the Crystal Palace, the formation of photographic societies, and the loosening of Talbot's patent restrictions. Artists who chose to work with the paper negative process did so either because they preferred its aesthetic qualities, because it offered practical advantages for travel photography or work in hot climates, or because it helped distinguish gentleman-amateur practitioners from the trade, which was dominated by the use of glass negatives. The exhibition will be divided into four sections: The Rise of the Calotype, 1839-1851; The Calotype in Great Britain; British Calotypists Abroad; and The Calotype in British India. The vast majority of the works included have never before been exhibited in the United States. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by Howard Stein. Press preview: Monday, September 24, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Eternal Ancestors: The Art of the Central African Reliquary October 2, 2007-March 2, 2008 This exhibition presents some of the most celebrated creations of African masters in a new light. Many were muses to members of the Western avant-garde, who collected and closely studied them for their inventive aesthetic qualities in their studios during the early 20th century. In light of their role in altering the course of Western art, the works examined are

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among the most influential masterpieces of the African artistic canon. Appreciated for their beauty alone for over a century, this exhibition will address the sensation these now-classic works generated among the earliest generation of African art amateurs. But beyond that it will reveal the significance of these works to their cultures of origin by revealing the underlying sources of cultural and spiritual inspiration that led to their creation in equatorial Africa. Drawn from the most important collections of African art in Europe and the United States, the more than 120 works featured are from a dozen distinct cultural traditions in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These sculptural masterpieces, which ultimately transcended their original cultural contexts to enter the mainstream of universal art, were created to portray ancestors as vital intermediaries. Through a range of different visual vocabularies and materials, this is evident in dynamic depictions of the human form conceived to enhance, venerate, and amplify the power of sacred relics. The exhibition will provide a foundation for greater appreciation of central Africa's cultural legacy and the relationship of its art to other major traditions from around the world. Since sacred relics have served as the catalysts for some of the most exalted and revered creations in the history of Western, Eastern, and African civilizations, the exhibition considers reliquaries from other world cultures alongside those produced in Africa, thereby drawing upon works from other parts of the Metropolitan's encyclopedic collections. The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Press preview: Monday, October 1, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Threads of Splendor: Tapestry in the Baroque October 16, 2007-January 6, 2008 Conceived as a sequel to Tapestry in the Renaissance: Art and Magnificence (spring 2002), this international loan exhibition will consider the European tapestry industry between ca. 1590 and ca. 1700. It will include approximately 40 tapestries, three or four full-scale cartoons, and about 30 drawings, engravings, and oil sketches. The exhibition is made possible in part by the Hochberg Foundation Trust and the National Endowment for the Arts. The catalogue is made possible by the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Inc. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, with the generous participation of the Patrimonio Nacional, Madrid. Press preview: Monday, October 15, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Gifts for the Gods: Images from Egyptian Temples October 16, 2007-February 18, 2008 This will be the first exhibition to deal with the art and significance of Egyptian bronze and precious metal statuary as a whole, which is connected with the drama and intimacy of ancient temples. Three intertwined themes will be presented: the heights of artistry reached during the Third Intermediate Period (ca. 1070-712 B.C.), the long development of metal statuary in concert with the changes in the temple world that form the background of this achievement, and the nature of the Egyptians' beliefs about the statuary and its crucial role in their relations with their gods. The exhibition will include approximately 70 objects drawn from American and international collections. Press preview: Monday, October 15, 10:00 a.m.-noon

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The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti's Renaissance Masterpiece October 30, 2007-January 13, 2008 After more than 25 years, the conservation of Lorenzo Ghiberti's doors for the Baptistery in Florence—called the Gates of Paradise—now in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, is nearing completion. This exhibition will provide an unprecedented opportunity to see three of the doors' famous narrative reliefs, with their masterful retelling of Old Testament subjects, as well as four figural sections from their opulent surrounding frames, before they are permanently installed in the museum. The panels and elements from the doorframe—two of its supremely elegant figures of prophets and two of its heads set in roundels—represent the sculptor's artistic development over the 27 years (1425-52) that he spent executing this seminal work of Italian Renaissance art. The exhibition was organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta in collaboration with the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, Florence. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, October 29, 10:00 a.m.-noon

The Jewelry of Alexander Calder October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008 This landmark exhibition will be the first museum show dedicated solely to Alexander Calder's extensive output of inventive jewelry. During his lifetime, Calder (1898-1976) produced more than 1,500 pieces, beginning in 1905 when he crafted small pieces of jewelry for his sister's dolls. His desire to make "wearable art" continued throughout his life, and he dealt with this aspect of his oeuvre much as he did in his other work. The jewelry had the same linear, yet three-dimensional, aspects as his mobiles, each piece comprising parts that are hammered, shaped, chiseled, and composed in a fashion that precisely echoes his sculpture. The exhibition will put on view about 60-70 objects—necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pins, and hair combs—as well as several notebooks of Calder's working drawings and photographic panels of his jewelry worn by patrons, art collectors, friends, and family. The exhibition was organized by the Norton Museum of Art, West Palm Beach, Florida. Accompanied by a publication. Press preview: Monday, October 29, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Silversmiths to the Nation: Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner, 1808-1842 November 20, 2007-February 24, 2008 The silversmithing firm established in Boston (1808-1811) and Philadelphia (1811-1842) by Thomas Fletcher and Sidney Gardiner produced silver of unprecedented quality and grandeur. This exhibition is the first devoted entirely to their work and its role in commemorating the U.S.'s pride as a nation. It will feature monumental vessels that celebrate naval and civic heroes as well as domestic and personal items, all of which display sophisticated design and skilled manufacture. The grand scale and patriotic imagery that characterize much of their work reflect the country's coming of age as a commercial, industrial, political, and artistic center. English and Continental models will provide background and context for the American achievements. In addition, an extremely rare group of surviving drawings belonging

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to the Metropolitan Museum will illuminate the creative process. The exhibition catalogue is made possible in part by the William Cullen Bryant Fellows. The exhibition was organized by The Henry Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum and Country Estate. Accompanied by a catalogue. Press preview: Monday, November 19, 10:00 a.m.-noon

Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche November 20, 2007-January 6, 2008 The Museum continues a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. A vivid 18th- century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive, lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels hovering above—adorns the candlelit spruce. Recorded music and daily lighting ceremonies will add to the enjoyment of the holiday display. The exhibit of the creche is made possible by gifts to The Christmas Tree Fund and the Loretta Hines Howard Fund.

New Galleries for Oceanic Art Opening fall 2007 The Metropolitan's galleries for Oceanic art, dedicated to the arts of the Pacific Islands, will reopen in a permanent installation in fall 2007. The Pacific encompasses more than a thousand distinct cultures and hundreds of artistic traditions in an area that covers about one- third of the earth's surface. Completely redesigned and reinstalled, the galleries will present a substantially larger portion of the Museum's Pacific holdings than was previously on view. Featuring renowned masterworks from the Metropolitan's Oceanic collection as well recent acquisitions, the installation will display sculpture and decorative arts from the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Australia. The project also includes the Museum's first gallery devoted to the arts of the indigenous peoples of Island Southeast Asia. Accompanied by a publication.

New Galleries for Native American Art Opening fall 2007 The permanent galleries devoted to Native American art will reopen in fall 2007. Drawn from the Metropolitan's American Indian collection, the exhibited works will include wood sculpture from the Northwest Coast of North America, ivory carvings from the Arctic, wearing blankets and katsinas from the Southwest, and works on hide from the Great Plains. Archaeological objects, particularly those of the Mississippian era, will be part of the re­ installation. Represented will be ceramic vessels, of the type previously known as Moundbuilder, that were given to the Museum in 1879.

Reopening of the Wrightsman Galleries for French Decorative Arts Opening late fall 2007 The Wrightsman Galleries will undergo extensive renovations to improve climate control and security, introduce new lighting and fire suppression systems, and incorporate numerous

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decorative changes. The new lighting in particular will greatly enhance the revised presentation of the Museum's renowned collection of French furniture and related decorative arts. A large group of objects will receive conservation treatment and several pieces of seat furniture will receive new upholstery, modern re-creations of the original show covers. The galleries will also include important works previously not on view, such as a mid-17th-century carved ebony cabinet on a stand and a late-18th-century carved and gilded state bed.

CONTINUING EXHIBITIONS

Cezanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde Through January 7, 2007 At the age of 29, Ambroise Vollard (1866-1939) established himself as an art dealer in Paris with the presentation of Cezanne's first solo exhibition. Over the succeeding years Vollard bought and sold pictures by Bonnard, Cezanne, Degas, Derain, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Maillol, Matisse, Picasso, Redon, Renoir, Rouault, Rousseau, Vlaminck, Vuillard, and others. This exhibition includes seven paintings from Vollard's 1895 Cezanne exhibition; a never-before-reassembled triptych from his 1896-97 Van Gogh retrospective; the masterpiece Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) from his 1898 Gauguin exhibition; paintings from Picasso's first French exhibition (1901) and Matisse's first solo exhibition (1904); and three pictures from Derain's London series, painted in 1906-7 at Vollard's suggestion. Additionally, the exhibition features dozens of ceramics, sculpture, prints, and livres d'artiste commissioned and published by Vollard. Also displayed are numerous portraits of Vollard by leading artists, among them Cezanne, Renoir, Bonnard, and Picasso. The exhibition is made possible by The Florence Gould Foundation. Education programs are made possible by The Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust. The exhibition was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Musee d'Orsay, Paris, and the Reunion des Musees Nationaux, Paris. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Annual Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Creche Through January 7, 2007 The Museum continues a long-standing holiday tradition with the annual presentation of its Christmas tree, a favorite of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world. A vivid 18th- century Neapolitan Nativity scene—embellished with a profuse array of diminutive, lifelike attendant figures and silk-robed angels hovering above—adorns the candlelit spruce. Recorded music adds to the enjoyment of the holiday display. Lighting ceremonies are held at 3:30 and 4:30 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays and at 3:30, 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 on Fridays and Saturdays. The exhibit of the creche is made possible by gifts to The Christmas Tree Fund and the Loretta Hines Howard Fund.

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The Armored Horse in Europe, 1480-1620 Through January 15, 2007 The horse was an integral part of medieval and Renaissance culture, not only as a beast of burden but also as a sign of rank and status. For the nobility, equitation was an essential skill, both socially and militarily. Horses played a pivotal role in warfare and often wore armor as elaborate and expensive as that of their riders. Drawing exclusively from items in the reserve collection, many of them unpublished and rarely seen before, this exhibition examines various types of European horse armor in terms of style, construction, and decoration. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Sean Scully: Wall of Light Through January 15, 2007 This exhibition presents recent work by painter Sean Scully (American, b. Ireland, 1945), specifically his Wall of Light series of paintings, watercolors, pastels, and aquatints. Inspired by the artist's first visits to Mexico in the early 1980s, where he observed the play of light and shadow on ancient stone walls, this ongoing and distinctive body of work focuses on an exploration of abstract forms affected by light, evoking a range of emotional and narrative themes. Paintings from 1998 to the present are constructed with rectangular bricklike forms, closely fitted and arranged in horizontal and vertical groupings as if in a wall, and characterized by broad, gestural brushstrokes, a wide range of luminous colors built up in layers, and varying degrees of overall light and darkness. The core of the exhibition features 30 small-, medium-, and large-scale paintings on canvas, with related watercolors, pastels, and aquatints. The exhibition is made possible by Paula Cussi and Ignacio Garza Medina. Corporate support is provided by UBS. The exhibition was organized by The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. Accompanied by a publication.

Americans in Paris, 1860-1900 Through January 28, 2007 Filled with the best of the old and the new—from the Louvre's treasures to Haussmann's boulevards—late-19th-century Paris attracted hundreds of American art students and artists, including Whistler, Eakins, Cassatt, and Sargent. So powerful was the lure of Paris that writer Henry James could observe in 1887: "When to-day we look for 'American art' we find it mainly in Paris. When we find it out of Paris, we at least find a great deal of Paris in it." This major loan exhibition highlights the themes "Picturing Paris"; "At Home in Paris"; "Paris as Proving Ground," which includes canvases shown in the Salons and other expositions; "Summers in the Country," when many Americans worked as Impressionists; and "Back in the United States," which suggests some of the lessons they brought home. The exhibition is made possible by Bank of America. Additional support is provided by the Marguerite and Frank A. Cosgrove Jr. Fund. The exhibition was organized by the National Gallery, London, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in association with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. It is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Accompanied by a catalogue.

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Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s Through February 19, 2007 The short-lived Weimar Republic saw political, economic, and social turmoil, yet also innovation in literature, music, film, theater, and architecture. In painting, a trend of matter- of-fact realism took hold in Germany like nowhere else in Europe. Disillusioned by the cataclysm of , the most vital German artists moved towards a Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), in particular its branch known as Verism. These artists looked soberly, cynically, and even ferociously at their fellow citizens and found their true metier in portraiture, depicting with clinical detachment the glittering yet doomed society around them. The exhibition features 40 paintings and 60 drawings by Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Karl Hubbuch, Christian Schad, and Rudolf Schlichter, among others. The exhibition is supported by The Isaacson-Draper Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation. Accompanied by a catalogue.

Set in Stone: The Face in Medieval Sculpture Through February 19, 2007 The Museum's rich collection of medieval heads, complemented by loans from American and European collections, shows the compelling power and diversity of the human face as represented from the end of the Roman Empire to the dawn of the Renaissance. Many of these sculptures were violently broken from their bodies in centuries past, and the exhibition reveals the detective work involved in "reconnecting" them. Organized thematically, the exhibition explores such artistic issues as iconoclasm, portraiture, the use of nuclear technology to determine provenance, and head reliquaries as power objects. The exhibition is made possible by The Florence Gould Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Michel David-Weill Fund. Accompanied by a catalogue.

A Taste for Opulence: Sevres Porcelain from the Collection Through February 25, 2007 The Sevres porcelain factory, established in the Chateau of Vincennes just outside Paris in 1740, quickly became the preeminent producer of porcelain in Europe. Supported in its early years by the patronage of Louis XV, the factory was named the manufacture du roi in 1753 and was purchased by the king in 1759. Catering in large part to the tastes of the court, the factory strove for constant innovation and originality throughout the 18th century, frequently employing the leading artists and designers of the day to provide models and inspiration for the factory's artisans. This installation, which focuses on the diversity of the factory's production, is drawn entirely from the Museum's superb holdings of Sevres porcelain and from its unparalleled collection of 18th-century French furniture decorated with Sevres plaques. The exhibition is made possible by The David Berg Foundation.

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Nan Kempner: American Chic Through March 4, 2007 This Costume Institute exhibition celebrates the cool glamour, spare elegance, and iconic style of one of the most renowned members of the Best-Dressed List's Hall of Fame, the late Mrs. Thomas L. Kempner, through a selection of works by her favorite designers and couture ensembles.

Discovering Tutankhamun: The Photographs of Harry Burton Through April 29, 2007 This exhibition of vintage photographs celebrates one of the most memorable episodes in the history of archaeology: the discovery and exploration of the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun (Dynasty 18; ruled ca. 1336-1327 B.C.). These photographs, documenting every stage in the process of the excavation, were taken by the renowned archaeological photographer Harry Burton. Burton was a staff member of the Metropolitan Museum Egyptian Expedition when he was "lent" to Howard Carter, the famed excavator of Tutankhamun's tomb. From the rock-cut steps leading down to the entrance passage, to the opening of the sealed chambers inside, to the first view of the contents of the tomb and the removal of the objects, Burton's splendid black-and-white photographs capture thousands of the beautifully made and decorated objects found in the tomb. The exhibition is made possible by The Friends of Isis, Friends of the Department of Egyptian Art. Accompanied by a publication.

Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall—An Artist's Country Estate Through May 20, 2007 Laurelton Hall, Louis Comfort Tiffany's extraordinary country estate in Oyster Bay, New York, completed in 1905, was the epitome of the designer's achievement and in many ways defined this multifaceted artist. Tiffany designed every aspect of the project inside and out, creating a total aesthetic environment. The exhibition is a window into Tiffany's most personal art, bringing into focus this remarkable artist who lavished as much care and creativity on the design and furnishing of his home and gardens as he did on all the wide-ranging media in which he worked. Although the house tragically burned to the ground in 1957, the exhibition brings together many of its surviving architectural elements and interior features. In addition, the exhibition features Tiffany's personal collections of his own work—breathtaking stained-glass windows, paintings, glass and ceramic vases, as well as Japanese and Chinese decorative objects and Native American baskets. The exhibition is made possible by The Tiffany &c Co. Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Gail and Parker Gilbert Fund. It was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in collaboration with The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park, Florida. Accompanied by a publication.

Coaxing the Spirits to Dance: Art of the Papuan Gulf Through September 3, 2007 The powerful and graphically elaborate sculpture from the Papuan Gulf area of the island of New Guinea is presented in a context that demonstrates how deeply embedded art was in the region's social life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The exhibition presents traditional

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sculptures in the form of masks, figures, and spirit boards that both represented and became the embodiment of supernatural beings that were placated, cajoled, and coaxed to attend to human needs. The exhibition focuses on these sacred objects and the contexts in which they were presented. The juxtaposition of 19th- and 20th-century photographs with the stylistically inventive sculptures—many specifically identifiable in the photographs—presents the cultural contexts of the objects and facilitates the presentation of culturally specific ideas while creating a visual biography of the works. Additionally, the images demonstrate how early visitors used photography to record their activities, as well as to visualize and represent the art and cultural practice integral to the well-being of the communities. The selection of rare historical photographs—some exhibited for the first time—taken by early travelers to the Papuan Gulf is drawn from The Photograph Study Collection of the Metropolitan Museum's Department of the Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The exhibition is made possible by the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. It was organized by the Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, in collaboration with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Accompanied by a catalogue.

NEW &c RECENT INSTALLATIONS

New Classical Galleries in The American Wing Official public opening January 16, 2007 A major reordering and upgrading of The American Wing galleries and period rooms has begun and is scheduled for completion in 2010. The Wing will remain open, in part, throughout the three-phase project. In Phase I, new first-floor galleries incorporating period architectural elements link the Federal-style period rooms of the original 1924 building with the later 19th-century rooms in the 1980 addition.

Journeys: Mapping the Earth and Mind in Chinese Art February 10-August 26, 2007 This installation, featuring 70 works dating from the 11th to the 21st century, explores the theme of journeys both real and imagined. Depictions of real journeys range from intimate scenes of individual departures and returns to grand imperially commissioned panoramas of royal inspection tours and extravagantly detailed maps of the Yangzi River and Grand Canal. But Chinese artists have more often been inspired by journeys of the mind: roaming through the mountains or escaping to wilderness retreats or Utopian paradises that can provide refuge, if only vicariously, from challenging realities. Contemporary artists have extended these themes, embarking on new journeys through transformations of traditional art forms.

Closed Circuit: Video and New Media at the Metropolitan February 23-April 29, 2007 In 2001, the Department of Photographs acquired the Metropolitan's first example of video art—a mesmerizing, elemental work by Ann Hamilton that, in its small scale and unassuming presentation, seemed almost like a still photograph come to life. This exhibition presents a

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selection from the growing collection put together by the department over the last five years, from David Hammons's raucous and surprising Phat Free and Darren Almond's hallucinatory Schwebebahn to Omer Fast's Spielberg's List, a 65-minute, two-screen pseudodocumentary about Hollywood and the Holocaust that is alternately ironic and harrowing. Also included are Lutz Bacher's surveillance of the late art dealer Pat Hearn, Wolfgang Staehle's 24-hour landscape "painting" set in the Hudson River Valley, Maria Marshall's haunting portrait of her young son entitled When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Cooker, and a digital update of Eadweard Muybridge's celebrated motion studies from the 1880s by new media pioneer Jim Campbell. Only Ann Hamilton's abc has previously been shown at the Metropolitan. The exhibition is made possible by Diana Barrett and Robert Vila and by Marlene Nathan Meyerson.

Europe and the Islamic World: Prints, Drawings, and Books March 27-July 15, 2007 In conjunction with the exhibition Venice and the Islamic World, 828-1797, a related installation of prints and drawings drawn from the permanent collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art will explore the broader theme of interactions between Europe and Islamic regions. From Albrecht Diirer's 15th-century engraving of a Turkish family to the sketches and costume studies drawn by Eugene Delacroix during his visit to Morocco in 1832, this exhibition will explore the West's ongoing fascination with Islamic culture. While some prints and drawings record the foreign travels of Europeans, others provide evidence of Muslims living in Europe. The ways in which Islamic traditions influenced European costume, architecture, and ornament will also be featured.

Children's Book Illustrations Through January 7, 2007 A selection of 13 drawings for children's books and 6 children's books by American, British, and Russian artists including Maxfield Parrish, Will Bradley, Arthur Rackham, Arthur Szyk, Kate Greenaway, and Walter Crane is on view as part of the Johnson Gallery's installation of highlights from the collection of the Department of Drawings and Prints.

Brush and Ink: The Chinese Art of Writing Through January 21, 2007 In China, calligraphy, "the art of writing," is regarded as the quintessential visual art, ranking above painting as the most important vehicle for individual expression. As such, calligraphy may be appreciated in much the same way as some abstract art—by following the artist's every gesture, reexperiencing the kinesthetic action of creation as preserved in the inked lines. This installation traces the 1,600-year history of brush writing from its genesis as a fine art in the 4th century A.D., through successive peaks of individual innovation, to its recent transformation from a universal mark of scholarly status into a form of abstract art. It features more than 70 works, with examples from the permanent collection importantly augmented by select works from private collections.

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Mother-of-Pearl: A Tradition in Asian Lacquer Through April 1, 2007 In the 12th century, craftsmen in southern China refined a long-standing tradition that combined mother-of-pearl and lacquer to create sumptuous painterly scenes of figures in landscapes, flowers, and birds. This installation traces the evolution of this astonishing technology in East Asia, India, and Thailand. It explores the importance of lacquer decorated with minute pieces of mother-of-pearl in interregional trade from the 12th to the 19th century, and the development of global trade, particularly in works made in India and Japan, in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. New acquisitions as well as important works from the permanent collection and several pieces on loan illustrate the remarkable variety of effects found in the use of tiny pieces of mother-of-pearl to create delicate scenes patterned in shades of white, pink, and green. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue are made possible by The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Foundation.

Flowing Streams: Scenes from Japanese Art and Life Through June 3, 2007 Since ancient times the ceaseless flow of streams and rivers that crisscross the islands of Japan has been likened to the transitory nature of life. Japanese paintings from all ages portray the phases of Japanese life as they unfold on and alongside the flowing creeks, rivulets, and rivers. In this special installation, paintings and screens from the Metropolitan's own collection are complemented by loans from private collections in New York and other areas.

One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement Through September 3, 2007 The studio craft movement developed in the United States during the post-World War II years. By the 1970s in both Europe and the United States, a shifting political climate and an "anything goes" art scene encouraged a new freedom in artistic expression. Artists working with traditional materials began to experiment with new materials and techniques, producing bold, abstract, and sculptural art. This exhibition of approximately 50 works from the Metropolitan's collection includes furniture, ceramics, glass, metalwork, jewelry, and fiber.

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TRAVELING EXHIBITIONS

PLEASE NOTE: These exhibitions originate at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with works of art from the Museum's collections selected and organized by Museum staff members. Please confirm the opening and closing dates with the local exhibiting museums as they may be subject to change.

Grans mestres de la pintura europea de The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Nova York. D' a Cezanne A selection of celebrated Old Master and 19th-century European paintings from the Metropolitan Museum's collection. With works dating from the 17th through the 19th century, from many schools, the exhibition presents more than 40 masterworks by El Greco, , Thomas Gainsborough, Edouard Manet, Nicolas Poussin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, and others. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain November 30, 2006-March 4, 2007

The Masterpieces of French Painting from The Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1800-1920 A selection of 135 masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum's treasured collection of French painting—including works by Bonnard, Cezanne, Corot, Courbet, Degas, Van Gogh, Ingres, Manet, Matisse, Monet, Picasso, and Renoir—will be lent exclusively to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston and the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin while the Met's galleries for the paintings undergo renovation. The Berlin venue will also include 15 French sculptures. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston February 4-May 6, 2007 The Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin June 1-October 7, 2007

The Pierre and Maria-Gaetana Matisse Collection Selections from The Metropolitan Museum of Art This selection of 50 works from The Pierre and Maria-Gaetana Matisse Collection, given to the Museum in 2002, focuses on the highlights of this personal collection of Pierre Matisse, the brilliant and prescient New York art dealer and younger son of . In addition to 24 works by Henri Matisse in all media, the exhibition also includes works by those artists whose careers Pierre Matisse launched in New York, among them Balthus, Dubuffet, Giacometti, and Miro. Museo Picasso Malaga, Spain March 26-June 24, 2007

Cast Images: American Bronze Sculpture from The Metropolitan Museum of Art The centuries-old tradition of casting bronze into sculptural form reached the United States by 1850, realizing its apogee in the early decades of the 20th century. Sculptors such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Frederick MacMonnies, and Frederic Remington were innovators in this medium; by mastering a vital French-based naturalism and choosing modern subjects, they popularized the American bronze as a fine collectible object. A selection of 50 statuettes and portrait busts from the Metropolitan's unparalleled collection traces the historical development of the small American bronze from technical, aesthetic, and thematic standpoints. New York State Museum, Albany October 20, 2007-February 24, 2008

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VISITOR INFORMATION

MAIN BUILDING HOURS Fridays and Saturdays 9:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Sundays, Tuesdays-Thursdays 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Met Holiday Mondays in the Main Building 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sponsored by Bloomberg January 15, February 19, May 28, July 2, September 3, October 15, Christmas/NewYear's Holiday, 2007 All other Mondays Closed January 1, Thanksgiving, and December 25 Closed

THE CLOISTERS HOURS November-February: Tuesdays-Sundays 9:30 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Mondays Closed

March-October: Tuesdays-Sundays 9:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m. Mondays Closed

RECOMMENDED ADMISSION (INCLUDES MAIN BUILDING AND THE CLOISTERS ON THE SAME DAY) Adults $20.00 Seniors (65 and over) and students $10.00 Members and children under 12 accompanied by adult Free

Advance tickets available at www.TicketWeb.com or 1-800-965-4827 For more information (212) 535-7710; www.metmuseum.org No extra charge for any exhibition

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December 19, 2006