An Acquiring Mind: Philippe de Montebello and The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The extraordinary legacy of Philippe de Montebello, who served for 31 years as Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is chronicled in this one-hour documentary. During his tenure, Mr. de Montebello guided the acquisition of more than 84,000 works of art from around the globe, demanded innovation in conservation techniques and oversaw the doubling of the physical size of this world-renowned cultural institution
MANGAAKA POWER FIGURE
Democratic Republic Of Congo Or Angola; 19th Century
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
WHEAT FIELD WITH CYPRESSES
Vincent Van Gogh; 1889; Oil On Canvas
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
STRIDING HORNED DEMON
Mesopotamia Or Iran; Ca. 3000 B.C.; Copper
Acquired in 2007, this demon with its horned head, bird of prey cape, muscular limbs and confident stride is barely seven inches tall. It was created 5,000 years ago just as the first cities in the world were emerging in the “cradle of civilization,” today’s southern Iraq. De Montebello recalls, “We saw this coming up at auction and we just pounced on this one.”
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
WALL PANELS
Lyon, France; Ca. 1799; Woven Silk And Metal Thread
For more than 200 years, this extraordinary French panel – one of a pair — languished behind the scenes in a king’s pleasure palace outside of Madrid. Purchased by the Met in 2006, “The two panels have never been used,” says curator Melinda Watt. “They’re in practically pristine condition.”
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
BUST OF ALEXANDER MENSHIKOV
Unknown Swiss, Austrian, Or German; Ca. 1703; Red Pine
Sometimes the only reason to acquire a work of art is the eye of the beholder. In 1996, de Montebello urged the purchase of this magnificent wooden bust even though no one knew the artist, the subject, the country or the date. Fiver years later, the Met’s scholars identified the sitter as Alexander Menshikov, a major Russian statesman and close friend of Peter the Great.
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
FEMALE DANCER
China Earthenware; Western Han Dynasty, 2nd Century B.C.
Acquired in 1992, this figure from the 2d century B.C. is a quintessential example of early Chinese sculpture. Unlike the Greeks, who adopted a geometric approach, the Chinese sculptors sought to capture the “life spirit” of the human subject
© Photo courtesy The Metropolitan Museum of Art
MADONNA AND CHILD
Duccio Di Buoninsegna; Ca. 1295–1300; Tempera And Gold On Wood
This tiny gem, Duccio’s Madonna and Child, was purchased in 2004 for $45 million. Here Duccio explores the psychological relationship between Mother and Child, representing a transforming moment in Western art. Few of Duccio’s paintings survive. The damage along the bottom of the original frame is from candles lit for private devotion.
RUBENS, HIS WIFE, HELENA FOURMENT, AND ONE OF THEIR CHILDREN
Peter Paul Rubens; Ca. 1635, Oil On Wood
Acquired in 1981, this large and imposing painting by the great Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens in 1635 is at the same time a very intimate portrait, showing the artist, his young wife Helena, and one of their children.
LEAVES FROM A BEATUS MANUSCRIPT SPAIN
Ca. 1180 Tempera, Gold, And Ink On Parchment
These leaves from an illustrated Spanish manuscript dating to ca. 1180 struck de Montebello “as a work of huge importance and manifest beauty.” They were added to the collection in 1991.
