New York, N.Y. - In a special presentation at The Cloisters museum and gardens-The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s branch devoted to the art and architecture of the Middle Ages-some 30 citizens of Nijmegen (The Netherlands) wearing historically accurate attire based on medieval designs will participate in a lecture demonstration with costume historian Desirée Koslin. The program will take place twice on Sunday, February 28, 2010, at 1:00 p.m. and again at 3:00 p.m., and will focus on 15 different costumes. Read more »
New York, N.Y. - American artists Mike and Doug Starn (born 1961) have been invited by The Metropolitan Museum of Art to create a site-specific installation for The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, opening to the public on April 27. The identical twin brothers will present Big Bambú, a monumental bamboo structure ultimately measuring 100 feet long by 50 feet wide by 50 feet high in the form of a cresting wave that will bridge realms of sculpture, architecture, and performance. Visitors can witness the creation and evolving incarnations of Big Bambú as it is constructed throughout the spring, summer, and fall by the artists and a team of rock climbers. Read more »
The Art of Illumination and The Mourners Will Open March 2
New York, N.Y. - A unique window into the lavish French courts of the Valois dukes of Burgundy and Berry will be offered at The Metropolitan Museum of Art this spring with the simultaneous opening, on March 2, of two landmark exhibitions: The Art of Illumination: The Limbourg Brothers and the Belles Heures of Jean de France, duc de Berry and The Mourners: Medieval Tomb Sculpture from the Court of Burgundy. The former features the exquisitely illustrated pages of a luxurious prayer book that belonged to Jean de Berry (1340-1416); the latter shows expressive alabaster figures from the tomb of his nephew, John the Fearless (Jean sans Peur, 1371-1419). Read more »
First Costume Institute Exhibition Based on Renowned Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection
New York, N.Y. - The spring 2010 exhibition organized by The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, the first drawn from the newly established Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at the Met. The exhibition, on view from May 5 through August 15, 2010 (preceded on May 3 by The Costume Institute Gala Benefit), will explore developing perceptions of the modern American woman from 1890 to 1940, and how they have affected the way American women are seen today. Read more »
New Mobile Truck to Feature Gourmet Soups from 20 Participating Eateries; Additional Offers this Season from American Express, Coca-Cola® and JetBlue Airways®
New York, N.Y. - NYC & Company, New York City’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization, today announced NYC Restaurant Week® Winter 2010 will feature more than 260 participating restaurants, making it the City’s largest dining program to date since it began in 1992. The two-week event will run from January 25 to February 7, 2010, and feature several new components, including an NYC Restaurant Week Truck, in addition to returning notable restaurants. Prices will remain $24.07 for three-course prix-fixe lunches and $35 for three-course prix-fixe dinners Read more »
More Than 45 Million Visitors In 2009 Exceeded Projections; 46.7 Million Expected In 2010; Leisure And Hospitality Jobs Surpass Pre-Recession Levels
New York, N.Y. - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert C. Lieber and NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta have announced that in 2009 New York City was the most popular tourist destination in the United States for the first time since 1990. The 45.25 million tourists exceeded projections, declining just 3.9 percent from 2008 versus the 10 percent expected. A 3.2 percent increase in tourism, with an estimated 46.7 million visitors, is expected in 2010. Mayor Bloomberg also announced that employment in the leisure and hospitality sector has fully rebounded and surpassed pre-recession levels. Read more »
February 2-May 9, 2010
Press Preview: Monday, February 1, 10 a.m.-noon
In the 1860s and 1870s, long before the embrace of collage techniques by avant-garde artists of the early 20th century, aristocratic Victorian women were experimenting with photocollage. Playing with Pictures: The Art of Victorian Photocollage, on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Feb. 2 - May 9, is the first exhibition to comprehensively examine this little-known phenomenon. Whimsical and fantastical Victorian photocollages, created using a combination of watercolor drawings and cut-and-pasted photographs, reveal the educated minds as well as accomplished hands of their makers. With subjects as varied as new theories of evolution, the changing role of photography, and the strict conventions of aristocratic society, the photocollages frequently debunked stuffy Victorian clichés with surreal, subversive, and funny images. Featuring approximately 50 works from public and private collections-including many that have rarely or never been exhibited before-Playing with Pictures will provide a fascinating window into the creative possibilities of photography in the 19th century. Read more »
