The Frank Lloyd Wright Room

In the far corner of the American Wing, just before you get to the portion that is closed for renovations, you'll find the recently reopened Living room from the Little House, Wayzata, Minnesota, by Frank Lloyd Wright. A true gem of the Met's decorative arts collection, this room is more than just the furniture it contains — it is an intact piece of architecture by the 20th century's most significant American architect. Though the style is now dated, we have Wright to thank for his cutting-edge attention to geometry that continues to inspire contemporary architects. Before entering the room, you walk along the exterior, peering into the space through Wright's signature stained glass windows.

Dilly-dallying in the Greek and Roman Galleries

After a weekend hiatus from the Met, I made no plan for today, intending to just enter the museum and see where it took me. I didn't go far after ascending the stairs from the 81st street entrance into the Greek and Roman galleries - I just sat down by the fountain and continued reading Making the Mummies Dance; and, of course, engaged in a little people watching.

I was really into the faces of the sculptures, which in some cases are just heads. I find that the damage to the features makes them look a little ghastly, but ultimately adds to the beauty of their survival from antiquity.

There was also this cute little vase that reflected so nicely on the glass below it — I just had to snap a photo.

Apple Blossoms

My First Unofficial Tour

It was a LONG weekend - pretty much worked nonstop... but before I did, I got the chance on Friday to visit the Met with a couple friends that were in town from California, one of whom hadn't been before.


Stephanie and Jerrell posing in the "cubiculum," or early Roman bedroom.


Stephanie up close with Chuck Close.

Japanese Koto Music

About once a month, the Musical Instruments Department holds a live concert, using one of the instruments from the collection. It is astounding to me that every instrument displayed in this wing, no matter how old, is in working condition. Today's concert, entitled "The World of the Koto," featured the Japanese Koto (click the 'play' button on the image above to hear). In a small corner of the Musical Instruments gallery, a brilliant musician, Masayo Ishigure, played three pieces on the instrument:

1. "Sakura" from Two Variations on "Sakura" and "Kojo no Tsuki" (1971)

2. Chidori no kyoku — "The Song of the Plovers" (ca. 1855)

3. "Tori no Yo Ni" — Flying Liike a Bird (1985)

The music reverberated through the space like a combination between a harp, piano, and guitar. I got the feeling that I had stumbled upon a treasure only for those in the know — even I had only been to the musical instruments wing once, but you can bet I'll try to make it to the next concert: Music from a 400–year-old continuous living tradition—Norway's hardanger fiddle.

Snowy Cloisters

It was the perfect day to go to The Cloisters, the Medieval branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Perched high above the buildings on either side of its hill in Fort Tryon Park, with a view of the Hudson River and George Washington Bridge, the exquisite museum is built in the style of a monastery, incorporating beautiful architectural pieces from historic sites. Within its walls, you'll find intricately detailed tapestries, paintings, and artifacts from the middle ages.

Forsythias in the Great Hall

Calder Jewelry

Calder Jewelry ended today, and though I have meandered through several times, I never wrote a post on it (not at all because it wasn't interesting). Alexander Calder is a well-known sculptor and painter, whose lesser-known metal jewelry takes on natural forms — elegantly crafted but with a rudimentary air. While the jewelry is stylistically similar, there are still a wide variety of modern-looking pieces and ones that reflect on traditional Egyptian, Greek and Byzantine jewelry.

Old Masters

After a long hiatus from tours, I went on a very informative Old Masters tour this evening.

Reading in the Lehman Wing

After my Old Masters tour, I wandered into the Robert Lehman Wing just downstairs from the European Paintings galleries. I recently started reading former Met director Thomas Hoving's memoir, Making the Mummies Dance. What fun it was to sit looking at Lehman's Impressionists and read about what an ordeal it was to secure the collection and build an entire pavillion to house it.