Explore Great Museums
This inside look at some of the Met’s most fragile works – the textiles – shows the range of preservation techniques required to ready these works of art for display. Combining artistry with technology, Met technicians encounter specimens that are sometimes pristine, but more… more >
When Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth’s home run record in 1974, he sealed his place in baseball history. Soon after, he joined other baseball greats in the Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown, NY. Showcasing stories and players, the Baseball Hall of Fame highlights the careers of… more >
As part of a special exhibition honoring Philippe de Montebello, curators who work with the Met’s Drawings and Prints highlight some of the techniques used in restoring some significant works on paper. Acquisitions require a judgment call – can this piece be saved? From GREAT… more >
To honor retiring Director Philippe de Montebello, the Met’s curators mounted an exhibit featuring some of the most significant acquisitions of his tenure, some of which transformed the Museum’s collections. Three hundred works from varying civilizations and cultures were… more >
Influential pieces from designers who revolutionized fashion become a part of feminist history at the Met’s Costume Institute. Sculptural dresses, corset-free constructions and a wildly inventive use of materials and shapes show the depth of this stunning collection. From… more >
Jose Marti is revered in Cuba as the founder of the Cuban nation. Paintings, markers and statues, like this one in Revolution Square, commemorate the story of Cuban independence, a revolution led by Marti at the end of the 19th century. Havana’s Museum of the City holds many… more >
Ada Rosa Alfonso, Director of the Ernest Hemingway Museum, shows Hemingway’s knife collection, displayed on top of a matador’s cape. Here she points out the blood of the bull, still staining the cloth. From GREAT MUSEUMS: Curious About Cuba: The Great Museums of Havana (2009).… more >
A glimpse inside Ernest Hemingway’s house reveals his passion for books and wild animals. In “Curious About Cuba,” the Great Museums team travels to Finca Vigia, Hemingway’s home for more than 20 years. There he wrote “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” and the Pulitzer and Nobel… more >
Growing, living collections bring the world’s natural beauty into focus at the New York Botanical Garden. From GREAT MUSEUMS: Riches, Radicals and Rivals: 100 Years of Museums in America (2006). more >
Modern museum architecture showcases fantastic designs that defy structural conventions. From GREAT MUSEUMS: Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 years of Museums in America (2006). more >
In San Francisco, the de Young Museum was redesigned to make an elegant connection with its historic landscape. From GREAT MUSEUMS: Riches, Rivals and Radicals: 100 Years of Museums in America (2006). more >
At the National Zoo, the focus on conservation brings endangered species front and center. From GREAT MUSEUMS: The Smithsonian National Zoo: Wild Thing! (2008) more >
Knit into the fabric of New York City, the renovated Museum of Modern Art was reinvented for the 21st century. Windows and spectacular views open the museum up to the urban landscape. From GREAT MUSEUMS: In Our Time: The Museum of Modern Art (2006). more >
A MUSEUM MOMENT This Kongo power figure enjoyed a place of honor in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s special exhibition featuring acquisitions made by retiring museum director, Philippe de Montebello. Featured in GREAT MUSEUMS: An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and the… more >
