'The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion' @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cecil Beaton (British, 1904–1980), Dorian Leigh (fourth from left) and unidentified models in Charles James, Vogue, June 1948. Courtesy of the Cecil Beaton Studio Archive at Sotheby's © Condé Nast Publications Inc.

Exploring the reciprocal relationship between high fashion and evolving ideals of beauty, The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion focuses on iconic models of the twentieth century and their roles in projecting, and sometimes inspiring, the fashion of their respective eras. The exhibition, organized by historical period from 1947 to 1997, will feature haute couture and ready-to-wear masterworks accompanied by fashion photography and video footage of models who epitomized their epochs.

The exhibition is made possible by Marc Jacobs.

Additional support is provided by Condé Nast.

Charles James (American, b. Great Britain, 1906–1978) Wedding Gown, 1948–49. Pink silk satin and ivory taffeta. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Jane Love Lee, 1993 (1993.427)

Loomis Dean (American, 1917–2005) Cabine of Christian Dior, 1957. Courtesy of Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

House of Dior (French, founded 1947) by John Galliano (British, b. Gibraltar, 1960) "Lucky" Evening Gown, haute couture fall/winter 2005–2006. (a) silk, synthetic, cotton, wool, plastic, metal; (b, c) leather; (d) metal, synthetic, pearl, silk; Length at CB (a): 98 in. (248.9 cm) Heel to Toe (b, c): 10 in. (25.4 cm) Diameter (d): 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm) Height (d): 7 in. (17.8 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Dorothy Strelsin Foundation Inc. Gift, 2006 (2006.22a–d)

Madame Grès (French, 1903–1993) Evening gown, 1954. White silk jersey with gold lame; L. at center front (a) 55 in. (139.7 cm), (b) 39 in. (99.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. Byron C. Foy, 1956 (C.I.56.60.6a,b)

Cristobal Balenciaga (French, b. Spain, 1895–1972) Day dress, 1955–56. Dark brown wool jersey; L. shoulder to hem: 39 in. (99.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Muriel Rand, 1964 (C.I.64.4.3)

Bert Stern (American, b. 1929) Twiggy in Yves Saint Laurent, Vogue, March 15, 1967. Courtesy of Staley-Wise Gallery, New York

Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (French, founded 1962) . Yves Saint Laurent (French, b. Algeria, 1936–2008). Dress, fall/winter 1965–1966. Wool. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Mrs. William Rand, 1969 (C.I.69.23)

Yves Saint Laurent, Paris (French, founded 1962). Yves Saint Laurent (French, b. Algeria, 1936–2008) Two Ensembles, fall/winter 1976–1977. Left: Red silk chiffon; green silk faille; green silk velvet; multicolored, printed silk chiffon; Length at CB (a): 23 1/2 in. (59.7 cm) Length at CB (b): 43 in. (109.2 cm) Overall (d): 99 1/2 x 45 in. (252.7 x 114.3 cm); Right: Red silk faille crepe with bead embroidery; red faille and gold braid; red twill with soutache trim; Length at CB (a): 27 in. (68.6 cm) Length at CB (b): 44 1/2 in. (113 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gifts of Bernice Chrysler Garbisch, 1979 (1979.329.6a–d) and (1979.329.7a–c)

Peter Lindbergh (German, b. 1944) Linda Evangelista in Guess (American, founded 1981) and Virginia, Vogue Italia, December 1988
Courtesy of Peter Lindbergh

Craig McDean (British, b. 1964) Kate Moss in Helmut Lang, Harper's Bazaar, November 1996 © Craig McDean / Art + Commerce

Peter Lindbergh (German, b. 1944) Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz, Christy Turlington, and Cindy Crawford in Giorgio di Sant'Angelo, Vogue British, January 1990. Courtesy of Peter Lindbergh

Peter Lindbergh (German, b. 1944) Naomi Campbell in Geoffrey Beene, Vogue, June 1990. Courtesy of Peter Lindbergh

Gianni Versace (Italian, 1946–1997) Evening Dress, spring/summer 1991. Multicolored silk crepe with bead embroidery; Length at CB: 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Gianni Versace, 1993 (1993.52.4)

House of Chanel (French, founded 1913)  Karl Lagerfeld (French, b. Germany, 1938) Ensemble, spring/summer 1992. White cotton knit and black silk tulle. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Chanel, 1993 (1993.104.2a–j)

'Napoleon III and Paris' @ The Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Édouard Baldus (French, born Prussia, 1813–1889), Imperial Library of the Louvre, 1856-57. Salted paper print from glass negative, 43.9 x 34.2 cm. (17 1/4 x 13 7/16 in.) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1994 (1994.137)

NEW YORK, NY.- During the reign of Emperor Napoleon III, the narrow streets and medieval buildings of Paris gave way to the broad boulevards and grand public works that still define the urban landscape of the French capital. Napoleon III and Paris, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art from June 9 through September 7, 2009, portrays the quickly changing cityscape of Second Empire Paris through a presentation of 40 photographs and 13 works in other media, all drawn from the permanent collection. Spanning the period from 1851 to 1871, the installation begins with a photographic introduction to Napoleon III and his family, then traces the radical transformation of the city under the emperor and his master urban planner Baron Haussmann, and concludes with depictions of the ruins of Paris in the aftermath of the Commune. Many of the works in the installation are by the preeminent photographers of the period, including Gustave Le Gray, Charles Marville, Edouard Baldus, Louis-Émile Durandelle, Alphonse Liébert, and Pierre-Ambrose Richebourg.

"The period in which modern Paris took shape—the 1850s and 1860s—coincides with the high point of French photography," noted Malcolm Daniel, Curator in Charge of the Department of Photographs. "Many of the period's greatest photographers found their most compelling subject matter literally at their doorstep in the dramatic transformation of Paris."

The Imperial Family
The exhibition begins with an introduction to the Imperial family. Nephew of Napoleon I, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was elected president of the French Second Republic after the Revolution of 1848 and the abdication of King Louis-Philippe. In 1851, Louis-Napoleon staged a coup d'état and seized dictatorial powers; one year later, he dissolved the Republic and established the Second Empire, taking the title Emperor Napoleon III.

This first section of the exhibition includes portraits of Louis-Napoleon in 1852 and Empress Eugénie in 1855 by Gustave Le Gray—the central figure in French photography of the 1850s—and a touching and unique portrait of the empress and her six-year-old son by Benjamin Delessert from 1862. A sculpted bust of the emperor by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux and a painting of the empress by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, also from the collection, are featured as well.

Napoleon III's ascension to power paralleled a dramatic flourishing of photography in France: the rise of paper photography over daguerreotypy; the development of new processes, including glass negatives; and the establishment of photographic societies, publications, and annual salons. Photographers also enjoyed direct encouragement from the emperor and his government in the form of commissions to record historic architecture and new construction, appointments as "official photographer" for the City of Paris or for specific public works, and purchases of photographs for imperial residences and municipal libraries.

Old Paris
Under Napoleon III and his prefect of the Seine, Baron Haussmann, Paris took the shape that is so familiar to us today. The grands boulevards, the limestone apartment buildings, and the public parks that form our image of Paris are largely the result of Napoleon III's rebuilding of the capital in the 1850s and 1860s. The modern city came at a cost, however; historic buildings and whole neighborhoods were razed to make way for broad thoroughfares and grand public works. This profound transformation of the landscape of Paris provided subject matter for many of the period's greatest photographers. Key among them was Charles Marville, official photographer to the City of Paris, who was commissioned to record the older areas of the capital that were slated for demolition. These photographs of a Paris that has long since disappeared are accompanied by contemporaneous etchings by Charles Meryon and Maxime Lalanne.

Napoleon III's Modern Paris
Although designed in part to ease military movement through the city and to prevent revolutionaries from barricading narrow streets, Napoleon III's urban plan was also geared toward making Paris a safer, healthier, and more modern city through the construction of new boulevards, bridges, hospitals, parks, waterworks, and sewers, and the installation of thousands of gas street lamps.

The desire of a ruler to leave his mark on the city played a role as well. The grandest of Napoleon III's building projects was the "New Louvre," designed to connect the Louvre and Tuileries Palaces. Edouard Baldus, the official photographer for the project, made thousands of photographs on site, ranging from documentation of every piece of ornamentation to large-format photographs of the completed pavilions. Assembled into lavish albums, Baldus's photographs of the project were presented by the emperor to the reigning sovereigns of Europe. This section of the installation also includes Louis-Émile Durandelle's photographs of the Paris Opera (1858–1875); views of the restoration of Notre Dame and the Tour Saint-Jacques; and images of industrial progress.

The Ruins of Paris
The Second Empire collapsed in 1870, after Napoleon III and his army suffered a swift defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. From March to May 1871 the Paris Commune, a newly established left-wing local government, battled National forces for control of the capital. A rare photograph by Pierre-Ambroise Richebourg in the exhibition shows a spy's-eye view of barricades erected in the streets of Paris during the Commune. However, the majority of the photographs in this section—by Alphonse Liebert, Charles Soulier, Franck, and others—depict the ruins of Paris in the months after the defeat of the Commune. Along with the destruction wrought by the battling forces in the environs of Paris, the capital itself suffered from self-inflicted wounds as Communards set fire to the Paris City Hall and the Tuileries Palace, among many other government buildings, and, in an act of anti-Bonapartist symbolism, pulled down the Vendôme Column with its crowning statue of the first Emperor Napoleon.

Napoleon III and Paris is organized by Malcolm Daniel.

Hippolyte-Auguste Collard (French, 1811–1887), The Hôtel de Ville, Paris, 1871. Albumen silver print from glass negative. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1959 (59.600.59)

Charles Soulier (French, 1840–1875) The Tour Saint-Jacques, Paris, ca. 1867. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 16 x 12 1/16 in. (40.7 x 30.6 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Edward Pearce Casey Fund, 1988 (1988.1072)

Charles Thurston Thompson (English, 1816–1868) French Machinery, 1855. Salted paper print from glass negative; 8 11/16 x 11 5/16 in. (22 x 28.7 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1992 (1992.5030)

Franck (François Marie Louis Alexandre Gobinet de Villecholle) (French, 1816–1906) The Vendôme Column, 1871. Albumen silver print from glass negative. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953 (53.704.8)

Charles Marville (French, 1816–1879) Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche (from the Rue de la Huchette), ca. 1868. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 14 1/8 x 10 11/16 in. (35.9 x 27.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of Howard Stein (L.2001.13)

Auguste Mestral (French, 1812–1884) Sculpture of the Virgin and Child, Notre Dame, Paris, ca. 1851. Salted paper print from paper negative; 13 13/16 x 10 7/8 in. (35.1 x 27.6 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 2000 (2000.290)

Pierre-Ambrose Richebourg (French, 1810–1893) Barricades of the Commune, April 1871, at the Corner of the Place Hôtel de Ville and Rue de Rivoli, 1871. Albumen silver print; 4 3/16 x 3 15/16 in. (10.6 x 10 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1998 (1998.334.1)

Gustave Le Gray (French, 1820–1884) The Empress Eugénie at Prayer, Saint-Cloud, 1856. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 9 3/16 x 7 3/16 in. (23.4 x 18.3 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gilman Collection, Purchase, Harriette and Noel Levine Gift, 2005 (2005.100.258)

Attributed to François-Benjamin-Maria Delessert (French, 1817–1868) Empress Eugénie and the Prince Imperial, 1862. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 8 1/2 x 6 5/16 in. (21.6 x 16 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gilman Collection, Purchase, Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation, by exchange, 2005 (2005.100.631)

Charles Marville (French, 1816–1879) Arts et Métiers (Old Model), 1877. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 14 7/16 x 9 1/2 in. (36.6 x 24.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Alfred Stieglitz Society Gifts, 2007 (2007.167)

Alphonse J. Liébert (French, 1827–1913) Tuileries Palace, Burned, 1871, from Les Ruines de Paris et de ses Environs 1870–1871. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 7 1/2 x 9 13/16 in. (19 x 25 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Joyce F. Menschel Photography Library Fund, 2007 (2007.454.1.4)

Charles Soulier (French, 1840–1875) Reception Hall, Council of State, May 1871. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 7 1/2 x 9 13/16 in. (19 x 24.9 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Paula and Robert Hershkowitz in memory of Sam Wagstaff, 2008 (2009.32.1)

Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827–1875) Bust of Napoleon III, 1873. Marble; H. 20 1/2 in. (52.1 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, Anne and George Blumenthal Fund, Munsey and Fletcher Funds, funds from various donors, Agnes Shewan Rizzo Bequest and Mrs. Peter Oliver Gift, 1974 (1974.297)

Louis-Emile Durandelle (French, 1839–1917) The New Paris Opera (Ornamental Sculpture), 1865–72. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 15 1/16 x 11 in. (38.3 x 27.9 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Gift, through Joyce and Robert Menschel, 1995 (1995.9)

Charles Marville (French, 1816–1879) Rue du Haut-Pave from the Quai de Montebello, 1865–69. Albumen silver print from glass negative; 8 1/8 x 14 9/16 in. (20.6 x 37 cm) The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Howard Greenberg, Paula and Robert Hershkowitz, Charles Isaacs, and Hans P. Kraus Jr., in honor of Philippe de Montebello, 2008 (2008.668)

'African and Oceanic Art from the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting' @ the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Heddle Pulley. Côte d'Ivoire; Guro peoples, 19th century. Wood, pigment; H. 8 1/4 in. (21 cm) Provenance: Félix Fénéon, Paris, before 1929; Dr. Charles Stéphen-Chauvet, Paris; Morris Pinto, Paris, before 1985; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1985

The Barbier-Mueller Museum in Geneva is home to one of Europe’s preeminent private collections of African and Oceanic art. Emphasizing the artistic heritage relating to two continents, the works testify to the achievements of the African and Oceanic masters who created them as well as their ongoing appreciation by scholars and collectors in the West.

The aspiring artist Josef Mueller began the collection more than a century ago, as the Parisian avant-garde awakened to and embraced the power of non-Western art. Heir to an industrial family, Mueller focused on collecting the works of contemporary European artists as well as the African sculptures that inspired them. Since 1955 his daughter Monique and her husband, Jean Paul Barbier-Mueller, have expanded upon that foundation, enriching the representation of art from across the Pacific.

The Barbier-Mueller Museum, opened in 1977, is dedicated to making the collection accessible to the public. Many of the masterpieces on view in this exhibition, landmarks of African and Oceanic sculpture, are being shown in the United States for the first time. They were selected for their exceptional aesthetic qualities, their historical interest, and their resonance with the Metropolitan’s holdings. The opportunity to compare objects from both institutions enhances our ability to develop a more nuanced appreciation of the singularity of these remarkable works of art.

The exhibition is made possible by Vacheron Constantin.

It was organized by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, in collaboration with the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva.

Serpent Headdress: A-Mantsho-ña-Tshol. Guinée, Boke district, village of Kanfrande; Baga peoples, 20th century. Provenance: Collected in the village of Kanfrande, by Henri Kamer in 1957; [John J. Klejman, 1968]; Dr. Mandlebaum, Brooklyn, 1968; [Merton Simpson, 1978]; [Henri Kamer, 1978–79]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979

 

Funerary Post (detail). Southwestern Sudan; Bongo or Belanda Mbegumba peoples, 20th century. Provenance: Christian Duponcheel, 1972; [Henri Kamer, New York]; Barbier-Muller collection, since 1973

Power Figure: Nkisi Nkondi. Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kongo peoples, 18th–19th century. Provenance: St. Peter Clavier Sodalität Mission, Freiburg, Switzerland, before 1914; Josef Mueller, ca. 1950

Female Figure with Raised Arms. Mali, Bondum region, village of Tintam; Dogon peoples, 15th–18th century. Wood, clay, pigment; H. 29 7/8 in. (76 cm). Provenance: Emil Storrer, Zürich, before 1950; Josef Mueller, ca. 1950

Poro Female Figure: Pombia. Côte d'Ivoire, village of Lataha; Senufo peoples, 19th century. Wood; H. 46 1/2 in. (118 cm). Provenance: Collected by Fr. Clamens in Lataha village, Côte d'Ivoire, 1951; [Emil Storrer, Paris, 1952]; Josef Mueller, 1952

 

Female Figure. Southern Burkina Faso, Léo region; Nuna peoples, 19th century. Wood; H. 32 5/8 in. (83 cm). Provenance: Collected in southern Burkina Faso by Henri Kamer in 1970; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1974

Plank Mask: Kinta-Loniakê. Southern Burkina Faso; Tussian peoples, first half of the 20th century. Wood, seeds, shells, kaolin, vegetable fibers; H. 26 3/8 in. (67 cm) Provenance: [Robert Duperrier, Paris, until 1968]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1968

Mblo Twin Mask. Côte d'Ivoire; Baule peoples, 19th century. Wood, pigment; H. 11 3/8 in. (29 cm) Provenance: Roger Bédiat, Côte d'Ivoire, before 1955; [Henri Kamer, 1955]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1978

Mask: Kidumu. Republic of Congo; Teke peoples, Tsaayi group, 19th century. Wood, paint; H. 13 3/8 in. (34 cm) Provenance: André Derain, Paris, before 1930; [Charles Ratton, Paris, late 1930s]; Josef Mueller, before 1939

Female Figure for a Trance diviner: asye usu. Côte d'Ivoire; Baule peoples, 19th–20th century. Wood, pigment; H. 17 3/8 in. (44 cm) Provenance: Josef Mueller before 1930

 

Staff Finial. Democratic Republic of the Congo; Kongo peoples, 19th century. Ivory; H. 8 5/8 in. (22 cm) Provenance: [Merton Simpson, Paris, before 1979]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979

Female Figure. Northern Angola; Shinji peoples, 19th century? Wood; H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm) Provenance: George Feher, New York; [Hélène Leloup, New York, before 1989]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1989

Sculptural Element from a Reliquary. Gabon ; Kota peoples, Obamba or Mindumu groups, 19th century. Wood, brass, copper; H. 16 1/8 in. (41 cm) Provenance: [Olivier le Corneur, Paris]; [Alain de Monbrison, Paris, before 1984]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1984

Prestige Stool. Cameroon, Grassfields Region, Fumban; Bamum peoples, 19th century . Wood, copper, shells, beads; H. 22 1/2 in. (57 cm). Provenance: Given by King Ibrahim Njoya to Capt. Hans Glauning, Cameroon, 1905; Glauning family, Germany until 1928; [Arthur Speyer, Sr., Berlin, 1928]; Charles Ratton, Paris, 1936; [Guy Ladrière, Paris, 1981]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1985

Kneeling Male Figure. Mali; Inland Niger Delta, 14th–16th century. Terracotta; H. 17 3/8 in. (44.3 cm) Provenance: [René Garcia, Paris, before 1985]; Barbier-Mueller collection, 1985

Pendant: Kneeling Male Figure. Mali; Inland Niger Delta, 14th–16th century. Copper alloy; H. 3 3/4 in. (9.6 cm) Provenance: [Philippe Guimiot, New York, before 1984]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1984

Ornament: Male Figure with Raised Arms. Mali; Inland Niger Delta, 13th–15th century. Copper alloy; H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm) Provenance: [Merton Simpson, New York, before 1983]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1983

Head Crest. Nigeria, Cross River region; Ejagham peoples, 19th–20th century. Wood, antelope skin, pigment; H. 28 1/8 in. (71.5 cm) Provenance: [Lin and Emile Deletaille, Brussels, 2000]; [Pierre Loos, Brussels, before 2002]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 2002

Female Head. Nigeria; Ife, 12th–14th century. Terracotta; H. 9 7/8 in. (25 cm). Provenance: Private collection, New York, 1980s; [Alain de Monbrison, Paris, 2000]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 2005

Roof Finial Figure. Papua New Guinea, Lower Sepik region, Yuat River, Biwat people, early 20th century. Wood, traces of paint, shell, fiber, feathers; H: 57 1/2 in. (146 cm) Provenance: A. Speyer, Berlin, 1930's; L. and E. Eckert-Voegelin, Basel, before 1978; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1978

Figure (Bioma). Papua New Guinea, Papuan Gulf, Urama Island and Era River region, 19th century. Wood, paint; H: 51 in. (130 cm)Provenance: Austro-Hungarian collection, before 1914; Ralph Nash, London; [John J. Klejman, New York, 1970]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1970

Initiation Mask. Papua New Guinea, Witu Islands, 19th century. Rattan, bamboo, bast, wood, paint, fiber; H: 26 in. (66 cm) Provenance: Collected by Lajos Biro, 1900; Ethnographical Museum of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; [Everett Rassiga, New York, 1973]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1973

   

Funerary Figure (Kulap). Southern New Ireland, 19th century. Limestone, fiber; H: 29 1/2 in. (75 cm) Provenance: Collected in New Ireland, ca. 1890; Augustus H. L. F. Pitt-rivers, Pitt Rivers Museum, Farnham, Dorset, 1898; [W. D. Webster, London, before 1900]; Stella Pitt-Rivers; John Hewett, London; [Mathias Komor, New York, 1977], Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1977

Helmet Mask. Northern New Ireland, 19th century. Wood, paint, beeswax, fiber, shell; H: 40 in. (102 cm) Provenance: Collected by Giovanni Bettanin, before 1904; Ethnographical Museum of Budapest, Budapest, Hungary; [Emile Deletaille, New York, 1984], Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1984

Canoe Prow Ornament (Nguzunguzu). Solomon Islands, New Georgia, Roviana Lagoon, 19th century. Wood, paint, shell; H: 11 5/8 in. (29.5 cm) Provenance: Collected by Rodolphe Festetics de Tolna, Roviana, Solomon Islands, 1895; Charles Stéphen-Chauvet, Paris, before 1939; [A. Emert, Paris, 1939]; Joseph Mueller/Barbier Mueller collection, since 1939

Forehead Ornament (Kapkap). Western Solomon Islands, 19th century. Tridacna shell, turtle shell, fiber; Diam: 4 3/4 in. (12 cm) Provenance: H. Gibson, England, before 1893; Royal United Services Institute Museum, London, 1893; James Hooper, England, before 1979; [Christie's, London 1980], Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1980

Mask. Northern Solomon Islands, Nissan Island, 19th century. Bark cloth, fiber, wood, parinarium nut resin, paint; H: 23 1/4 in. (59 cm) Provenance: Collected by Richard Parkinson, before 1903; Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany; [Maurice Bonnefoy, Geneva, 1969]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1969

Ceremonial Platter (Rova). Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo Island, Tsureviu village, 19th century Wood; H: 34 1/4 in. (87 cm) Provenance: Collected by Rev. Yates, Tsureviu village, Espiritu Santo Island, Vanuatu; Ralph Nash, London; [John J. Klejman, New York, 1969]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1969

Mask (Mawa). Torres Strait, Saibai Island, 19th century. Wood, paint, hair, fiber; H: 27 in. (69 cm) Provenance: Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne, Australia, before 1900; F. Cooper Smith, Melbourne, ca. 1930; Roberta Nochimson, New York, 1972; [Lance Entwistle, London, 1973], Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1973

Female Figure (Dinonga Eidu). Caroline Islands, Nukuoro Island, 18th–19th century. Wood; H: 15 13/16 in. (40.2 cm) Provenance: Paul Guillaume, Paris; Marie-Ange Ciolkowksa; George Ortiz, Switzerland; [Lance Entwistle, London, 1986]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1986

Fan Handle. Cook Islands, Rarotonga, late 18th–early 19th century. Wood; H: 4 3/4 in. (12.5 cm) Provenance: James Keggie, London, before 1951; James Hooper, England, 1951-1979; [Christie's, London, 1979]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979

Anthropomorphic Kava Bowl (Daveniyaqona). Fiji, eastern Viti Levu Island, early 19th century. Wood; H: 14 1/8 in. (35.9 cm) Provenance: Melbourne Aquarium, Melbourne, Australia, 1900–ca. 1953; private collection, Australia, ca. 1953; Roberta Nochimson; [Lance Entwistle]; George Ortiz, Switzerland; [Lance Entwistle, London, 1986]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1986

Male Figure (Moai Tangata). Rapa Nui (Easter Island), early 19th century. Wood, obsidian, bone; H: 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm) Provenance: Sir Jacob Epstein, England; John Hewett, England, 1962; [Aaron Furman, New York, 1972]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1972

Equestrian Figure, Portrait of a Chief. Indonesia, Sumatra, Toba Batak people, 19th century. Stone; H: 34 1/4 in. (87 cm) Provenance: [Emile Deletaille, Brussels, 1979]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1979

Shield. Timor-Leste (East Timor), Ataúro Island, 19th century. Wood, metal, paint, horn; H: 35 3/4 in. (90.8 cm) Provenance: Reportedly in Bali, Indonesia, 1977; Belgian antique dealer, 1979; James Willis, San Francisco, 1981; [R. Van der Stukken, Brussels, 1982]; Barbier-Mueller collection, since 1982

Photo: Sara Krulwich/The New York Times            

“African and Oceanic Art From the Barbier-Mueller Museum, Geneva: A Legacy of Collecting” is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art through Sept. 27.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Announces it will Show Vermeer's Masterpiece The Milkmaid

Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675), The Milkmaid, ca. 1658. Oil on canvas, 45.5 x 41 cm. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam SK-A-2344

NEW YORK, NY.- On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s historic voyage from Amsterdam to New York, the Rijksmuseum is sending The Milkmaid, perhaps the most admired painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632—1675), to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. To celebrate this extraordinary loan, the Metropolitan Museum will present Vermeer’s Masterpiece The Milkmaid, a special exhibition beginning on September 9, which will bring together all five paintings by Vermeer from its collection, along with a select group of works by other Delft artists, placing Vermeer’s superb picture in its historical context.

Along with Rembrandt and Frans Hals, Vermeer is now counted as one of the greatest Dutch artists of the Golden Age. Until a century ago, however, his rare paintings – only 36 survive today – were little known and often misattributed. During his brief career, Vermeer sold his exquisite works to a small circle of discerning collectors in his native Delft, and in the neighboring court city of The Hague. The Milkmaid, dating from about 1657-58, was one of the first paintings by Vermeer to be purchased by the Delft collector Pieter van Ruijven, who by 1670 owned 21 of the artist’s works. Vermeer’s Masterpiece The Milkmaid will mark the first time that the painting has traveled to the United States since it was exhibited at the 1939 World’s Fair 70 years ago.

In addition to the Metropolitan Museum’s five Vermeer paintings – among them Young Woman with a Water Pitcher (ca. 1662), A Maid Asleep (1656–57), and Study of a Young Woman (probably ca. 1665–67) – this focused presentation will include important works by Pieter de Hooch, Gabriël Metsu, Nicolaes Maes, Emanuel de Witte, Hendrick van Vliet, and Hendrick Sorgh, all masters who, like Vermeer, were active during the remarkable period of exploration, trade, and artistic flowering that occurred during the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. Vermeer’s Masterpiece The Milkmaid will also feature several works on paper that illuminate the artist’s theme, including engravings by Lucas van Leyden (The Milkmaid, 1510) and Jacques de Gheyn II (The Archer and the Milkmaid, ca. 1610), both from the Metropolitan Museum’s collection, and Jacob Backer’s beautiful drawing A Woman with a Jug (ca. 1645), on loan from the Maida and George Abrams Collection.

Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675), Young Woman with a Water Pitcher, ca. 1662. Marquand Collection, Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1889 (89.15.21). The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Johannes Vermeer (Dutch, 1632-1675), Woman with a Lute, ca. 1662–63 Bequest of Collis P. Huntington, 1900 (25.110.24). The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Roxy Paine Creates Monumental Sculpture for 2009 Installation of Metropolitan Museum's Roof Garden

Roxy Paine, Maelstrom (detail), 2009, stainless steel, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery. Photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Teresa Christiansen

NEW YORK, NY.- Conceptual artist Roxy Paine (American, b. 1966) has created a site-specific installation for the 2009 season of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, the most dramatic outdoor space for sculpture in New York City. Roxy Paine on the Roof: Maelstrom features a 130-foot-long by 45-foot-wide stainless-steel sculpture, Maelstrom (2009), that encompasses the nearly 8,000-square-foot Roof Garden, and is the largest sculpture to have been installed on the roof of the Metropolitan. Set against, and in dialogue with, the greensward of Central Park and its architectural backdrop, this swirling entanglement of stainless- steel pipe showcases the work of an artist keenly interested in the interplay between the natural world and the built environment, as well as the human desire for order amid nature's inherently chaotic processes.

Gary Tinterow, the Museum's Engelhard Chairman of the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art, stated: "Roxy Paine has created for the Metropolitan Museum his most remarkable work to date, a stunning sculpture that commands the environment through interaction. I feel certain that our visitors will marvel at the complexity of the structure, and delight in its beauty."

A provocateur, Paine builds elaborate and complex constructions to address conceptually complex concerns, providing fertile ground for thought and contemplation. Since the mid-1990s, he has created a diverse body of work that falls into several distinct yet related categories: naturalistic works (startlingly realistic, hand-formed replicas of botanical forms and fungi, rendered with synthetic materials and featuring various stages of growth and decay); machine-based works (intricate, computer-driven machines that mechanically produce abstract paintings, sculptures, and drawings); and a series of large-scale stainless-steel Dendroids, fabricated from industrial components.

In the latter category, Maelstrom is Paine's most complex and ambitious sculpture to date, evoking a Da Vinci-like study of whirling water or a neural network. It is part of a series of work based on dendrites' branching structures such as trees, neurons, industrial pipelines, or vascular networks. The Dendroids, as the series is called, began in 1998 with installations studying the innate logic of trees. Exquisitely crafted and largely handwrought, Maelstrom is composed of thousands of variously sized, cylindrical stainless-steel pipes and rods that have been welded together. More than seven tons of material comprise the sculpture, which was hand-welded in the artist's upstate New York studio. Familiar themes are at play—artificiality and the natural world, sly humor and irony, control and chaos, abstraction and figuration, and the machine-made and the handmade—while conceptually complex concerns are addressed, such as human desire to control nature and nature's indifference to that desire. Visitors are encouraged to move throughout the installation to experience its inherent drama and turbulence.

Born in New York in 1966, Paine grew up in the suburbs of Northern Virginia. He left home at age 15, crisscrossing the United States, and studied art at the College of Santa Fe, New Mexico (1985–86), and Pratt Institute, New York (1986–88). Since 1990, his work has been exhibited internationally and is included in a wide spectrum of public and private collections in the United States and abroad. He lives and works in Brooklyn, Long Island City, and Treadwell, New York.

Roxy Paine, Maelstrom (detail), 2009, stainless steel, courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery. Photograph: Sheila Griffin

Roxy Paine, Maelstrom (detail), 2009, stainless steel. Photo: Librado Romero/The New York Times