March and April 2009
For tickets, call the Concerts & Lectures Department at 212-570-3949 or visit
www.metmuseum.org/tickets, where updated schedules and programs (including
additional lectures that are free with Museum admission) are available.
Tickets are also available at the Great Hall Box Office, which is open
Tuesday–Thursday 10–5:00, Friday and Saturday 10–7:00, and Sunday noon–5:00.
Student discount tickets are available for some events; call 212-570-3949.
Wednesday, March 4, at 11 a.m. – The Impressionist in the Garden, presented by Colta Ives. Ms. Ives, who is Curator of Prints and Drawings and holds a degree in landscape design, examines the trend toward informality and eclecticism in 19th-century landscape design illustrated in the works of Manet, Renoir, Monet, and other Impressionist masters—some of whom were avid gardeners, while others were simply outdoor loungers.
Tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 4, at 6 p.m. – Inside the Met: The Curatorial Departments, begun in Spring 2007, is a two-year project to introduce and explain each of the Metropolitan Museum's 17 curatorial departments. Curators present the most outstanding works in the collection and discuss how and when each department came into being, how special exhibitions are organized, and what long-range plans are contemplated. Presenters of this lecture on Drawings and Prints, one of the largest curatorial departments in the Museum, are George Goldner, Drue Heinz Chairman, and Nadine Orenstein, Curator. (Series continues on March 11 and 18)
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 11, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series begins with an examination of Early Christian and Byzantine Art: Hagia Sophia in Istanbul; Cave Paintings in India; Colossal Buddha in China; and Maya Temple of the Inscriptions in Mexico. (Series continues on March 18 and 25 and April 1, 22 and 29)
Series tickets (6 Wednesdays): $120
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 11, at 6 p.m. – Inside the Met: The Curatorial Departments, begun in Spring 2007, is a two-year project to introduce and explain each of the Metropolitan Museum's 17 curatorial departments. Curators present the most outstanding works in the collection and discuss how and when each department came into being, how special exhibitions are organized, and what long-range plans are contemplated. Presenters of this lecture on Photographs, established as a curatorial department in 1992, are Malcolm Daniel, Curator in Charge; Jeff L. Rosenheim, Curator; and Douglas Eklund, Associate Curator. (Series continues on March 18)
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, March 17, at 6 p.m. – The English at Home in the Country, 1700-1820, a four-part series presented by author Olivier Bernier, examines some of the vast and splendid buildings erected by the aristocracy on estates all over the English countryside during this period, including Castle Howard, the site of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited," and the collections of art, furniture, and silver that filled them. The series begins with A Palace for a Conqueror: Blenheim and the Great Marlborough. (Series continues on March 24 and 31, and April 7)
Series tickets (4 Tuesdays): $80
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 18, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series, which began on March 11, continues with Early Medieval Art: "Dark Ages," Carolingian and Ottonian; Horyu-ji Compound in Nara, Japan; Mosque in Cordova, Spain; and Sculpture in Tang Dynasty China. (Series continues on March 25 and April 1, 22, and 29)
Series tickets (6 Wednesdays): $120
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 18, at 6 p.m. – Inside the Met: The Curatorial Departments, begun in Spring 2007, is a two-year project to introduce and explain each of the Metropolitan Museum's 17 curatorial departments. Curators present the most outstanding works in the collection and discuss how and when each department came into being, how special exhibitions are organized, and what long-range plans are contemplated. Presenters of this lecture on The Robert Lehman Collection, established as a curatorial department in 1975, are Laurence B. Kanter, Lionel Goldfrank III Curator of Early European Art, Yale University Art Gallery, who was Curator of The Robert Lehman Collection for 18 years, and Dita Amory, Associate Curator in Charge.
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, March 24, at 6 p.m. – The English at Home in the Country, 1700-1820, a four-part series presented by author Olivier Bernier, examines some of the vast and splendid buildings erected by the aristocracy on estates all over the English countryside during this period, including Castle Howard, the site of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited," and the collections of art, furniture, and silver that filled them. The theme of this second lecture in the series, which began on March 17, is The Perennial Prime Minister: Robert Walpole and Houghton. (Series continues on March 31 and April 7)
Series tickets (4 Tuesdays): $80
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 25, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series, which began on March 11, continues with Romanesque Art: Saint Sernin in Toulouse; Sculpture in Vézelay; Apple Church in Cappadocia, Turkey; Kandariya Mahadev Temple in India; and Painting in Song Dynasty China. (Series continues on April 1, 22 and 29)
Series tickets (6 Wednesdays): $120
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, March 25, at 2:30 p.m. – Opera 101: Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, presented by Fred Plotkin, author of Opera 101, Classical Music 101, and seven books about Italy. Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci express the enduring passions and traditions of southern Italy. These works, both written in the 1890s, exemplify the link between opera and cinema and are forerunners of Italian neo-realist films. Popularly referred to as "Cav/Pag," these one-act operas are in repertory at the Metropolitan Opera from March 19 to April 10.
Tickets: $23
Friday, March 27, at 7 p.m. – Paula Robison: Dancing with Bach, Partita in A Minor, a lecture-performance presented by flutist Paula Robison with baroque dancer Catherine Turocy and harpsichordist James Richman, is an in-depth examination of J. S. Bach's Partita in A Minor, BWV 1013, including an investigation of the dances of the period that inspired the composer. The evening concludes with a complete performance of the Partita.
Tickets: $23
Tuesday, March 31, at 6 p.m. – The English at Home in the Country, 1700-1820, a four-part series presented by author Olivier Bernier, examines some of the vast and splendid buildings erected by the aristocracy on estates all over the English countryside during this period, including Castle Howard, the site of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited," and the collections of art, furniture and silver that filled them. The theme of this third lecture in the series, which began on March 17, is The Grand Tour and the English Garden: Robert Adam, Kedleston, and Stourhead. (Series concludes on April 7)
Series tickets (4 Tuesdays): $80
Single tickets: $23
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Wednesday, April 1, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series, which began on March 11, continues with Romanesque Art: "Leaning Tower" of Pisa; Durham Cathedral in England; Yoruba Sculpture in Nigeria; Indian Ganesha Sculpture; and Painting in Japan. (Series continues on April 22 and 29)
Single tickets: $23
Saturday, April 4, at 2:30 p.m. – Shirley Temple: The Little Princess, a special "Bijou at the Met" family program, introduced by art dealer and film historian Robert Dance. The Little Princess was Shirley Temple's first color film and remains one of her most enduring classics. The story of a girl who is orphaned when her father is presumed lost in the Boer War, it was made in 1939, when the 10-year-old Temple was America's number-one box- office draw.
Tickets: $5, children 12 years and under; $10, adults
Tuesday, April 7, at 11 a.m. – Works of Art in the Metropolitan: Adam and Eve, presented by Kent Lydecker, art historian and former Frederick P. and Sandra P. Rose Associate Director for Education. One of the greatest printmakers in history, Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), lived in an age when the world was being transformed by the power of the printing press and widely disseminated graphic images. Focusing on his acclaimed engraving Adam and Eve , this lecture examines how his skill as a draftsman and painter found ready expression in the new technologies of the woodcut, the etching, and the engraving. This lecture is supported by The Giorgio S. Sacerdote Fund.
Tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 7, at 6 p.m. – The English at Home in the Country, 1700-1820, a four-part series presented by author Olivier Bernier, examines some of the vast and splendid buildings erected by the aristocracy on estates all over the English countryside during this period, including Castle Howard, the site of Evelyn Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited," and the collections of art, furniture, and silver that filled them. The series, which began on March 17, concludes with India on the Channel: Brighton and George IV.
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 14, at 11 a.m. – Medieval Rome: Three Case Studies, presented by Dorothy F. Glass, Professor Emeritus of Medieval Art, University at Buffalo, examines a vast historical panorama of medieval Rome through the history of three individual churches. This three-part series begins with San Clemente: Renewing Rome after the Norman Invasion of 1084. (Series continues on April 21 and 28)
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 14, at 6 p.m. – A Traveler's Guide through Art: Madrid and Toledo, presented by CUNY professor Jerrilynn D. Dodds, explores the two great cities of Castile—Madrid, the glorious historical capital, and Toldeo, 70 kilometers south, a center of culture and learning under both Islamic and Christian rule. The five-part series begins with Madrid: The City as History. (Series continues on April 21 and 28, and on May 5 and 12)
Series tickets (5 Tuesdays): $100
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 15, at 11 a.m. – West End Avenue: A Poor Relation Made Good, presented by architectural historian Christopher Gray, whose weekly "Streetscapes" column appears weekly in The New York Times. New York City's West End Avenue was thought to be the poor relation of Riverside Drive—a leftover street that would never rival the opulent castles that were to rise on Riverside. But as Riverside's future collapsed, West End flourished, evolving by the 1890s into the most comfortable big residential boulevard in the city. Many of the era's near-mansions survive today.
Tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 15, at 2:30 p.m. – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) , presented by pianist, teacher, writer, and broadcaster David Dubal, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. Scion of a prominent family, Mendelssohn had every possible intellectual and musical advantage and was one of the great letter writers of his age. This two-part series examines the composer's fascinating life through his letters and presents young musicians of the Juilliard School performing segments of Mendelssohn's music. Today's opening lecture features Excerpts from "Songs without Words" and Scherzo from Piano Trio No. 1 in D Minor, Opus 49. (Series concludes on April 22)
Series tickets (2 Wednesdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Thursday, April 16, at 6 p.m. – New York as Paradise: 1860s to 1920s, presented by architectural historian Barry Lewis. More than a century ago Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux sought to civilize cities and bring them into harmony with nature by designing greenbelts, parks, and garden suburbs. The two-part series, which explores the greening of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, including Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, and Sunnyside Gardens, begins with Olmsted and Vaux: Parks, Parkways, and Garden Suburbs, 1860-90. This series is supported by the Mrs. Joseph H. King Fund. (Series concludes on April 23)
Series tickets (2 Thursdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 21, at 11 a.m. – Medieval Rome: Three Case Studies, presented by Dorothy F. Glass, Professor Emeritus of Medieval Art, University at Buffalo, examines a vast historical panorama of medieval Rome through the history of three individual churches. This three-part series, which began on April 14, continues with Santa Cecilia in Trastevere: Honoring the Patroness of Church Music. (Series concludes on April 28)
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 21, at 6 p.m. – A Traveler's Guide through Art: Madrid and Toledo, presented by CUNY professor Jerrilynn D. Dodds, explores the two great cities of Castile—Madrid, the glorious historical capital, and Toldeo, 70 kilometers south, a center of culture and learning under both Islamic and Christian rule. The five-part series, which began on April 14, continues with Madrid: Museo Nacional del Prado. (Series continues on April 28 and May 5 and 12)
Series tickets (5 Tuesdays): $100
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 22, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series, which began on March 11, continues with Gothic Art: Chartres Cathedral; Psalter of Saint Louis; Japanese "Tale of Genji"; Art in Jin and Yuan Dynasty China; and Anasazi Houses in Mesa Verde, Colorado. (Series continues on April 29)
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 22, at 2:30 p.m. – Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) , presented by pianist, teacher, writer, and broadcaster David Dubal, commemorates the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. Scion of a prominent family, Mendelssohn had every possible intellectual and musical advantage and was one of the great letter writers of his age. This two-part series, which began on April 15, examines the composer's fascinating life through his letters and presents young musicians of the Juilliard School performing segments of Mendelssohn's music. Today's concluding lecture features Aria from "Elijah" and Finale: Allegro appassionato from Piano Trio No. 2 in C Minor, Opus 66.
Series tickets (2 Wednesdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m. – Re-Presenting the Body, presented by John Paoletti, Professor of Art History, Wesleyan University. This two-part series examines the way in which artists in the latter half of the 20th century treated the human body as a vehicle for meaning, and how the use of sources from the popular media allowed an increasing politicization of that meaning. The series begins with The Figure after 1945: Traditions and Innovations with Norman Rockwell and Willem de Kooning. (Series concludes on April 29)
Series tickets (2 Wednesdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Thursday, April 23, at 6 p.m. – New York as Paradise: 1860s to 1920s, presented by architectural historian Barry Lewis. More than a century ago Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux sought to civilize cities and bring them into harmony with nature by designing greenbelts, parks, and garden suburbs. The two-part series, which began on April 16, explores the greening of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, including Forest Hills, Jackson Heights, and Sunnyside Gardens. Today's concluding lecture explores The Early "New Urbanist" Communities of New York City, 1910-30. This series is supported by the Mrs. Joseph H. King Fund.
Series tickets (2 Thursdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Saturday, April 25, at 6 p.m. – Duke Ellington, presented by pianist, composer, and writer Stuart Isakoff, examines the career of Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington. A popular dance-band leader, a jazz icon, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Ellington and his band performed at the Cotton Club and Carnegie Hall, in Hollywood films and vaudeville theaters, and at music festivals around the world. "Mood Indigo," "Sophisticated Lady," "Caravan," and Do Nothing till You Hear from Me" are among his many enduring compositions.
Tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 28, at 11 a.m. – Medieval Rome: Three Case Studies, presented by Dorothy F. Glass, Professor Emeritus of Medieval Art, University at Buffalo, examines a vast historical panorama of medieval Rome through the history of three individual churches. This three-part series, which began on April 14, concludes with San Giovanni in Laterano: The Pope as the Bishop of Rome.
Series tickets (3 Wednesdays): $60
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 28, at 2:30 p.m. – The Sound of Broadway: Instrumentally Yours. Broadcaster and American musical theater aficionada June LeBell puts the spotlight on the composer, rather than the lyricist, in two of Broadway's most acclaimed and successful songwriting teams—George and Ira Gershwin and Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein—in a two-part series of informal lecture/demonstrations featuring guest artists in conversation and performance. The series begins with a tribute to George Gershwin. (Series concludes on May 5)
Series tickets (2 Tuesdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Tuesday, April 28, at 6 p.m. – A Traveler's Guide through Art: Madrid and Toledo, presented by CUNY professor Jerrilynn D. Dodds, explores the two great cities of Castile—Madrid, the glorious historical capital, and Toldeo, 70 kilometers south, a center of culture and learning under both Islamic and Christian rule. The five-part series, which began on April 14, continues with Madrid: Museo de Arte Thyssen-Bornemisza and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia. (Series continues on May 5 and 12)
Series tickets (5 Tuesdays): $100
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 29, at 11 a.m. – Art History 201: Masterpieces of World Art, The Middle Ages, presented by Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton, offers insight into the masterpieces of architecture, sculpture, and painting created from prehistory to the present day. The period from about A.D. 350 to 1400 will be studied in this six-part series, comparing the art of the early medieval, Romanesque, and Gothic eras in the West with contemporary achievements throughout the world. The series, which began on March 11, concludes with Gothic Art: Henry VII Chapel in Westminster Abbey, London; Unicorn Tapestries; Chora Church in Istanbul; Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain; and Aztec Sculpture.
Single tickets: $23
Wednesday, April 29, at 6 p.m. – Re-Presenting the Body, presented by John Paoletti, Professor of Art History, Wesleyan University. This two-part series examines the way in which artists in the latter half of the 20th century treated the human body as a vehicle for meaning, and how the use of sources from the popular media allowed an increasing politicization of that meaning. The series, which began on April 22, concludes with The Figure after 1975: The Body Politic with Andy Warhol and Eva Hesse.
Series tickets (2 Wednesdays): $40
Single tickets: $23
Note: All ticketed lectures include entrance to the Metropolitan Museum's galleries, including The Cloisters museum and gardens, on the day of the event.
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February 19, 2009
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