The Philippe de Montebello Years: Curators Celebrate Three Decades of Acquisitions
Metropolitan Museum, until 1 February 2009
Philippe de Montebello retires from the position of Director at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, after 31 years of service, at the end of this year. A forum of curators has organised an exhibition of around 300 great works of art and artefacts (chosen from over 84,000) acquired under his watch, to honour his contribution.
The Philippe de Montebello Years is the result. It is an exhilarating and eclectic display that crosses the centuries from ancient prehistory to the present. Spanning the globe from Europe to Asia, Africa and Latin America, it includes artefacts, art and costume, from ancient Egypt to Weimer Germany. On show are Gothic sculptures, paintings from the Tang dynasty in China, a 14th-century Gospel from Ethiopia, Classical Greek sculpture and a poignant self-portrait of Peter Paul Rubens with his second wife.
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