Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Masterpieces of Art: A Curated Collection from the Metropolitan Museum of Art / Author: Barbara Burn / Hardcover 1994

UPC: 9780870996771 / 978-0870996771

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Metropolitan Museum of Art; Not Indicated edition (January 1, 1994)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0870996770
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0870996771
• Printed in New York 
• Pages 320

Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a breathtaking collection of over 250 of the finest works in the Met's collection. Drawn from more than three million works in eighteen different curatorial departments, these masterpieces represent the pinnacle of human creativity and artistry.

The book is organized chronologically, beginning with ancient Egypt and ending with the twentieth century. Each work is accompanied by a text that includes pertinent information about the artist, the work, and its historical context.

Some of the most famous works in the collection are featured in the book, including the Temple of Dendur, Botticelli's Annunciation, Rembrandt's Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, and Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. But there are also many lesser-known works that are just as impressive.

Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-have for anyone who loves art. It is a beautiful and informative book that will give you a new appreciation for the Met's vast and diverse collection.

What makes the book inspirational?

The book is inspirational because it showcases the power of art to move and amaze us. It shows us that art can be a source of great beauty, insight, and inspiration. It can also help us to understand the world better and to connect with others on a deeper level.

Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a reminder that art is a gift that we should all cherish. It is a gift that can bring us joy, comfort, and understanding. It is a gift that can make our lives richer and more meaningful.

• Use it as a guide to plan your next visit to the Met.
• Give it as a gift to a friend or family member who loves art.
• Use it to learn more about the history of art.
• Use it to inspire your own creativity.

Masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a book that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it.

The cover of this year's Notable Acquisitions celebrates the work of Peter Paul Rubens, one of those rare figures in the history of art who completely dominate their age. In his oeuvre, "Rubens molded life with the clay of optimism and reproduced its fundamental rhythms in pictures of sheer brilliance, in which the whole process of his inventive genius, his exuberance, and love of life are transmitted in the brushwork; its daring, variety, and verve equal that of his subjects, creating a synthetic unity that is the triumph of Northern Baroque painting ... If Rubens's love of life can be seen even in the most somber historical and religious subjects, how much more clearly is it expressed in the numerous paintings of his alluring young wife, Helena ... These paintings exude uncommon warmth and richness; they are Rubens's most intimate creations, unabashed manifestations of the tenderness, joy, and serenity that marked the last years of his life."

I wrote these words fifteen years ago in a small monograph on Rubens. At the time the Metropolitan Museum owned neither a family group nor a self-portrait by the artist. That one of his supreme and most personal works in this genre, a painting of truly princely provenance—the dukes of Marlborough, the Rothschilds, and most recently Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wrightsman—should now enter the collection is cause for jubilation.

Judging from the knot of visitors this picture regularly attracts, I can safely say that Rubens, His Wife Helena Fourment, and Their Son Peter Paul, arguably the greatest work by the artist in the United States, is already one of the most popular paintings in the Museum. 

Foreword 

Ancient Near Eastern Art
Egyptian Art
Greek and Roman Art
Islamic Art
Medieval Art and The Cloisters
Arms and Armor
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Costume Institute
Musical Instruments
European Paintings
Drawings
Prints and Photographs
American Paintings and Sculpture
American Decorative Arts
Twentieth Century Art
Primitive Art
Far Eastern Art