Until the spring of 1973, it could be said that the field of costume had been a sleepy and rarified one, at least in the context of museums. An aura of antiquarianism seemed to enshroud every costume display, and they had, for all intents and purposes, no audience beyond a few specialists. Then, in that spring of 1973, Diana Vreeland joined The Metropolitan Museum of Art as Special Consultant to The Costume Institute, and almost immediately, literally from the very first of her legendary exhibitions, "The World of Balenciaga," a large and enthusiastic audience discovered costume, not only in New York but around the world as well. Thanks to her individual achievements, there is now broad public awareness of costume. How many people are there who can actually be credited with having transformed an entire field? Diana Vreeland did that with éclat and with an uncanny sense for drama and style. By the same token, when we extol her love of extravagance and opulence or her ability to turn even a monk's cowl into a glamorous object, we should remember that even Mrs. Vreeland's most successful tableaux were achieved by dint of hard work. Although she was able to make it appear to happen by the wave of a magic wand or some cabalistic incantation, she worked hard and long hours. She loved the Metropolitan and was proud to be a part of it. While she got her way rather more frequently than most do here, the only powers she needed to invoke, even in her most extravagant moods, were her extraordinarily persuasive skills. The staff granted Mrs. Vreeland glossy magenta walls, headless mannequins, elephants, and carriages, because they had come to learn that her instincts were rarely wrong. Diana Vreeland was an editor, and her approach to exhibitions reflects that fact. It was usually through a process of elimination that she arrived at the right balance in an exhibition, and to that end, she often borrowed more than she used, editing down to what was just right for the desired effect. The richness of our collections allowed her free reign to pick and choose. Indeed, one of her greatest shows was "Vanity Fair," which was drawn entirely from the collections and for which she really was an editor. Mrs. Vreeland was amazingly visual, and it was fascinating to watch her move and adjust the costumes on the mannequins. Through the alchemy of her incredible eye, the most desultory group was turned into the most lively vignette. She knew with unfailing instinct just what adjustment would bring to life an attitude, a gesture. While media attention naturally focused on Mrs. Vreeland's exhibitions, I should say here that she was also a great acquisitor, and just as she maneuvered the cogwheels of the Metropolitan's administration mostly by ignoring them and forging ahead with singular determination, her pertinacity extended as well to the wooing of donors, and The Costume Institute's collections swelled with their gifts during her brilliant tenure. Diana Vreeland's legacy is, of course, a multiple one, but I think it is fair to stress that among her greatest contributions is the new freedom curators have had, because of her, to apply a new virtuosity to their displays without incurring the opprobrium of the field. Finally, it can be said with absolute assurance that the new and sustained interest in costume, the large audiences that are now attracted to it, is, for the field, Diana Vreeland's most precious legacy.

Press Officer Meryl Cates sits down with MetLiveArts Artist in Residence Nate DiMeo to discuss his creative process and how he developed The Memory Palace podcast episodes produced during his residency.

Diane Arbus (1923-1971) is one of the most distinctive and provocative artists of the twentieth century. Her photographs of children and eccentrics, couples and circus performers, female impersonators and nudists, are among the most recognizable images of our time. This book is the definitive study of the artist's first seven years of work, from 1956 to 1962. Drawn primarily from the rich holdings of the Metropolitan Museum's Diane Arbus Archive—a remarkable treasury of of photographs, negatives, appointment books, notebooks, and correspondence—it is an essential contribution to our understanding of Arbus and her oeuvre. diane arbus: in the beginning showcases over 100 of the artist's early photographs, more than half of which are published here for the first time. The book provides a crucial, in-depth presentation of the artist's genesis, showing Arbus as she developed her evocative and often haunting imagery. The photographs featured in this handsome volume reveal an artist defining her style, honing her subject matter, and in full possession of the many gifts which she is now recognized the world over.

Aliza Sena, associate coordinator for Digital Learning, invites you to Dine and Draw at The Met and shares a selection of drawings made by kids from around the world.

Fifteen jewel-like miniature paintings—with enlarged details—and thirteen pages of exquisitely calligraphed poetry are reproduced here from a diminutive manuscript commissioned by Akbar the Great, the third Mughal emperor of India. The manuscript, which measures only 5 1/2 by 27/8 inches, was made in 1588, the thirty-third year of Akbar's reign, when the emperor was at the height of his power. The tiny paintings are the work of Akbar's court artists, many of whom were trained by Persian artists brought to India by Humayun, Akbar's father. A brilliant blend of Persian and Indian influences marks the work of these Mughal painters; their miniatures combine extreme delicacy of line with intense colors and complex compositions—some of which demonstrate the artists' understanding of the European concept of perspective. The various small paintings convey the whimsy, vigor, and lyrical quality of the poems they illustrate. The poems are by Auhaduddin Anvari, the greatest Persian panegyrist of the twelfth century. In her commentary on the poems and in her essay on Anvari's work and life, Annemarie Schimmel, the Museum's special consultant for Islamic art, offers insights into Anvari's complex and sometimes caustic works and gives new translations of many of the poems. Stuart Cary Welch, special consultant in charge of the Department of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan, has written an engaging account of Akbar's life and times that includes a history of the Mughal dynasty and of the court ateliers where this delightful Divan was produced. This Divan of Anvari is in the collection of the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard, and the Metropolitan is honored to collaborate with the Fogg in the publication of the present book. The publication has been generously supported by a grant from The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, New York.

Intern Amanda Malcolm discusses a performance by Dana Claxton taking place at the Museum this Sunday, March 15.

This first comprehensive study in English devoted to Sienese painting to be published in four decades centers on the fifteenth century, a fascinating but frequently neglected period when Sienese artists confronted the innovations of Renaissance painting in Florence. The painters of Siena, without betraying their heritage of the previous century—which had produced some of the greatest artists of all time, including Duccio, Simone Martini, and Ambrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti—succeeded in adapting their artistic traditions to a new and completely original vision, rejecting many of the norms by which subsequent generations have come to define Renaissance art. These later Sienese artists frequently took a non-rational approach, seeking not to replicate nature, but to explore a more subjective world—one that in some respects is akin to that of twentieth-century art. The result is one of the most singular schools of Italian painting, which must be viewed on its own terms and understood within the religious and social framework of fifteenth-century Siena. Two introductory essays survey fifteenth-century Sienese painting, and individual entries examine 139 key works in exhaustive detail, presenting new insights into long-debated issues of interpretation and attribution, and often utilizing previously unpublished material. Most of the major paintings are reproduced in color and are supplemented with illustrations of related comparative works. The focus is on the reconstruction of narrative cycles from major altarpieces by Sassetta, Giovanni di Paolo, the Master of the Osservanza, Matteo di Giovanni, and Benvenuto di Giovanni, among others, and the entry on Giovanni di Paolo's well-known panels illustrating the Life of Saint Catherine of Siena establishes a new basis for appreciating one of the greatest visionary works of Renaissance art. In presenting this impressive body of material, the authors have given Sienese painting of the Renaissance the attention it deserves, providing a basis for all future research on the subject. Keith Christiansen, curator of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the author of a monograph on Gentile da Fabriano, as well as of numerous articles on Italian Renaissance painting. Laurence B. Ranter, curator of the Lehman Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is co-author of the catalogue of Italian paintings in the Robert Lehman Collection. Carl Brandon Strehlke, curator of the John G. Johnson Collection at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is currently writing a catalogue of Italian paintings in the Johnson Collection and has published articles on Sienese painting. The catalogue concludes with an extensive Bibliography and an Index.

Publishing and Marketing Assistant Rachel High discusses the work of Diane Arbus and the creation of the exhibition catalogue diane arbus: in the beginning with the book's authors, Jeff Rosenheim and Karan Rinaldo.

Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350 examines an exceptional moment at the dawn of the Italian Renaissance and the pivotal role of Sienese artists—including Duccio, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini—in defining Western painting. …

The collection of post-World War II jewelry assembled by Donna Schneier chronicles the history of modern and contemporary jewelry worldwide. Her gift to The Metropolitan Museum of Art of 132 necklaces, bracelets, brooches, earrings, and rings created by 88 makers embodies an era in which artists and craftspeople experimented with new materials, techniques and concepts. The artists represented in the Donna Schneier Collection conceived their works within larger artistic movements, signaling a period in which concepts and ideas were valued more than precious materials. They were inspired by important turn-of-the-twentieth-century jewelers such as René Lalique and Louis Comfort Tiffany, but also looked to artists like Alexander Calder—who began making jewelry in the 1930s—and midcentury modernists like Art Smith and Sam Kramer. Abstraction, Conceptual art, and Minimalism were all powerful influences, along with earlier modernist movements such as the Bauhaus and De Stijl. Performance art, Pop art, and a keen interest in narrative and figurative work also came into play.