2023-11-23 15:00:00
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City has reopened the 45 rooms that make up its European painting collection, following completing a renovation that began in 2018. This part of the exhibition hosts works created between 1300 and 1800.
This renovation, which is the largest infrastructure project undertaken in the museum’s history, will allow visitors, according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, to better appreciate the details of the 679 paintings on display, many of which have been restored as part of a comprehensive renovation of the facilities, while the works have also been rearranged chronologically.
Museum director Max Hollein said: “I think the European Collection is a key part of the museum, it’s also probably an area where people think they’ve seen it all already so the important thing regarding this reopening with more natural light and the fantastic installation is that it introduces new stories.” New subjects and new methods fundamentally renew our idea of what Europe means in the field of painting.”
He added: “There is a greater presence of works by women, such as the still life of Clara Peeters, a Flemish still life painter from Antwerp, or two loaned by Sofonisba Anguissola (Italy) and Judith Lister (Netherlands). There is also a dialogue between ancient and modern as well as a broader geographical interaction.” “Visitors can see Europe’s complex relationships with New Spain and the Royal Crown of Peru.”
He continued: “The best example of this conceptual re-reading is the room dedicated to El Greco, which is interspersed with many of Picasso’s works, creating a juxtaposition that demonstrates the influence of the Greek painter on the Spaniard. A room dedicated to royal art has also been integrated, and in the adjacent rooms, you can find virgins.” Painted by Francisco de Zurbarán and Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, or the portrait painted by Velázquez of his servant and student Juan de Pareja, they interact with colorful images of crowned nuns such as the image of Sor Juana de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, acquired in 2021, and the images of the Three Wise Men from Mexico and Peru. “Some of the paintings are halfway between Seville and Latin America,” according to exhibition curator José Luis Lazarte.
Metropolitan Museum
Paintings of Picasso and El Greco
1700752862
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