Asian art at the Metropolitan Museum

Since its establishment in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum has based its approach to collecting on the ambition of its founders to present an encyclopedic survey of world art. But to a unique degree, the Museums collection of Asian art also reflects the melting pot that is New York and the individual...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin - Metropolitan Museum of Art 2015-01, p.4-47
Main Author: Hearn, Maxwell K
Format: Article
Language:English
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Since its establishment in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum has based its approach to collecting on the ambition of its founders to present an encyclopedic survey of world art. But to a unique degree, the Museums collection of Asian art also reflects the melting pot that is New York and the individual passion and knowledge of the many private collectors who have invigorated this city and this institution. It is largely thanks to these enlightened patrons that today the Museum is able to exhibit one of the worlds most comprehensive collections of the paintings, sculpture, textiles, and decorative arts of Asia. In 2015, as the Metropolitan celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Department of Asian Art, it bears reflecting upon how this collection was formed and why such acquisitions are but one chapter in the larger narrative of how museums in the West have sought to collect and interpret the arts of the East. [Publication abstract]
ISSN:0026-1521