Masterpieces of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

by Philippe de Montebello (Contributor)

Housing one of the finest and most comprehensive collections in the world, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a living encyclopedia of art. Cultures spanning the globe and dating from the ancient world to the present are represented in this beautifully illustrated book, which features over 250 masterpieces from the Museum’s collection. The objects are arranged in chronological order by culture, beginning with ancient Egypt and ending with the twentieth century in Europe and America. Insightful text opens each section and provides historical and cultural background, while in-depth commentary accompanies each featured work.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, History

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1993

About the author

Philippe de Montebello (6 May, 1936) is a French/American museum director and served from 1977 to 2008 as the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Reviews

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Met indeed has a wide variety of art from around the world. I have liked visiting this museum as I become fully immersed in that time/place of all the particular art in a specific room/wing. This book is the tip of that iceberg-vast-collection.

The Ancient World
- Egypt
- The Ancient Near East
- Greece and Rome

The Middle Ages
- Medieval Europe
- The Islamic World

The Renaissance
- Southern Europe
- Northern Europe

The Seventeenth Century in Europe

Asia
- India and S/E Asia
- China
- Japan

1700-1900 in Europe and the US
- Europe
- USA

Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- Africa
- Oceania
- Precolumbian America

The Twentieth Century


This is a beautiful, large book. But it feels so limiting, once you know what is REALLY at this museum. This is just a teaser to make me want to return.

4.5, round up.

[Misbah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paintings and artifacts from different eras and locations that are housed at the metropolitan museum of art. The stark variation between what was and is considered "art" by these civilisations is very apparent.
Good overview, would love to see the real thing someday.

[Johns · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful photography of some of the most spectacular items in the priceless collection at the Met in NYC. Particularly poignant if you have been fortunate enough to view a few of these items firsthand at the museum itself.