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Now on view!🐉🦄

Long before fantasy films and epic novels, artists were imagining worlds filled with fantastical beings and imaginary creatures.

For centuries, cultures across the world have imagined creatures that blur the boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. These extraordinary beings—both fearsome and beloved—reflected a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds.

A collaboration between @metcloisters and The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at @metmuseum, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” features over 50 works exploring mythical hybrid creatures across Europe and the Americas between 500 and 1500 CE—and what they reveal about human connection and imagination.

📣 Now open! See “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas” on view at The Met Cloisters through October 18. Link in bio to learn more and plan your visit.

#MetCloisters

Now on view!🐉🦄

Long before fantasy films and epic novels, artists were imagining worlds filled with fantastical beings and imaginary creatures.

For centuries, cultures across the world have imagined creatures that blur the boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. These extraordinary beings—both fearsome and beloved—reflected a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds.

A collaboration between @metcloisters and The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at @metmuseum, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” features over 50 works exploring mythical hybrid creatures across Europe and the Americas between 500 and 1500 CE—and what they reveal about human connection and imagination.

📣 Now open! See “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas” on view at The Met Cloisters through October 18. Link in bio to learn more and plan your visit.

#MetCloisters

Now on view!🐉🦄

Long before fantasy films and epic novels, artists were imagining worlds filled with fantastical beings and imaginary creatures.

For centuries, cultures across the world have imagined creatures that blur the boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. These extraordinary beings—both fearsome and beloved—reflected a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds.

A collaboration between @metcloisters and The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at @metmuseum, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” features over 50 works exploring mythical hybrid creatures across Europe and the Americas between 500 and 1500 CE—and what they reveal about human connection and imagination.

📣 Now open! See “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas” on view at The Met Cloisters through October 18. Link in bio to learn more and plan your visit.

#MetCloisters

Now on view!🐉🦄

Long before fantasy films and epic novels, artists were imagining worlds filled with fantastical beings and imaginary creatures.

For centuries, cultures across the world have imagined creatures that blur the boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. These extraordinary beings—both fearsome and beloved—reflected a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds.

A collaboration between @metcloisters and The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at @metmuseum, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” features over 50 works exploring mythical hybrid creatures across Europe and the Americas between 500 and 1500 CE—and what they reveal about human connection and imagination.

📣 Now open! See “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas” on view at The Met Cloisters through October 18. Link in bio to learn more and plan your visit.

#MetCloisters

Now on view!🐉🦄

Long before fantasy films and epic novels, artists were imagining worlds filled with fantastical beings and imaginary creatures.

For centuries, cultures across the world have imagined creatures that blur the boundaries between human, animal, and supernatural realms. These extraordinary beings—both fearsome and beloved—reflected a global impulse to make sense of both known and unknown worlds.

A collaboration between @metcloisters and The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing at @metmuseum, “Creatures of Myth and Imagination” features over 50 works exploring mythical hybrid creatures across Europe and the Americas between 500 and 1500 CE—and what they reveal about human connection and imagination.

📣 Now open! See “Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas” on view at The Met Cloisters through October 18. Link in bio to learn more and plan your visit.

#MetCloisters

A portrait is a representation of a person, but what exactly does it represent?

Traditionally, sitters have used such images to project their power and place in society, but portraiture has evolved with time, alongside the growing concept of identity. In the 20th century, their works often reflected avant-garde styles and ideas, the rise and popularization of photography, the impact of such new scientific fields as psychology, and the increased pace of industrialization.

The exhibition "The Face of Life: Modern Portraits" at The Met explores the human desire to capture and communicate the lived experience. As the world changed politically, socially, economically, and technologically during the last century, artists expanded the idea of portraiture in response.

📣 Now open! See nearly 80 works from The Met collection by artists including Leonora Carrington, Elizabeth Catlett, René Magritte, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and more!
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⛵️ Henri Matisse (French, Le Cateau-Cambrésis 1869–1954 Nice), "Young Sailor II," 1906. Oil on canvas. In our @metmodern collection.

Can you guess what this object was used for? Hint: you needed it whenever you wanted to write something...

It's an inkstand in the shape of a butterfly! Inkstands were commonly used in the West when quills and dip pens were popular writing accessories.

This butterfly has four compartments under its wings: two small inkwells with lids, a sand shaker for drying ink, and a candlestick—probably to melt wafers for sealing letters. This enamel work demonstrates a joyful fusion of Chinese design and Western function. The humorous face of the butterfly adds an extra layer of charm to the colorful design.

📣 Discover the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievements of Chinese enamel wares in "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900" on view at The Met through June 28.
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🦋 "Inkstand in the shape of a butterfly," Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Painted enamel on copper alloy. In our Asian Art department.

Can you guess what this object was used for? Hint: you needed it whenever you wanted to write something...

It's an inkstand in the shape of a butterfly! Inkstands were commonly used in the West when quills and dip pens were popular writing accessories.

This butterfly has four compartments under its wings: two small inkwells with lids, a sand shaker for drying ink, and a candlestick—probably to melt wafers for sealing letters. This enamel work demonstrates a joyful fusion of Chinese design and Western function. The humorous face of the butterfly adds an extra layer of charm to the colorful design.

📣 Discover the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievements of Chinese enamel wares in "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900" on view at The Met through June 28.
———
🦋 "Inkstand in the shape of a butterfly," Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Painted enamel on copper alloy. In our Asian Art department.

Can you guess what this object was used for? Hint: you needed it whenever you wanted to write something...

It's an inkstand in the shape of a butterfly! Inkstands were commonly used in the West when quills and dip pens were popular writing accessories.

This butterfly has four compartments under its wings: two small inkwells with lids, a sand shaker for drying ink, and a candlestick—probably to melt wafers for sealing letters. This enamel work demonstrates a joyful fusion of Chinese design and Western function. The humorous face of the butterfly adds an extra layer of charm to the colorful design.

📣 Discover the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievements of Chinese enamel wares in "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900" on view at The Met through June 28.
———
🦋 "Inkstand in the shape of a butterfly," Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Painted enamel on copper alloy. In our Asian Art department.

Can you guess what this object was used for? Hint: you needed it whenever you wanted to write something...

It's an inkstand in the shape of a butterfly! Inkstands were commonly used in the West when quills and dip pens were popular writing accessories.

This butterfly has four compartments under its wings: two small inkwells with lids, a sand shaker for drying ink, and a candlestick—probably to melt wafers for sealing letters. This enamel work demonstrates a joyful fusion of Chinese design and Western function. The humorous face of the butterfly adds an extra layer of charm to the colorful design.

📣 Discover the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievements of Chinese enamel wares in "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900" on view at The Met through June 28.
———
🦋 "Inkstand in the shape of a butterfly," Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Painted enamel on copper alloy. In our Asian Art department.

Can you guess what this object was used for? Hint: you needed it whenever you wanted to write something...

It's an inkstand in the shape of a butterfly! Inkstands were commonly used in the West when quills and dip pens were popular writing accessories.

This butterfly has four compartments under its wings: two small inkwells with lids, a sand shaker for drying ink, and a candlestick—probably to melt wafers for sealing letters. This enamel work demonstrates a joyful fusion of Chinese design and Western function. The humorous face of the butterfly adds an extra layer of charm to the colorful design.

📣 Discover the aesthetic, technical, and cultural achievements of Chinese enamel wares in "Embracing Color: Enamel in Chinese Decorative Arts, 1300–1900" on view at The Met through June 28.
———
🦋 "Inkstand in the shape of a butterfly," Qing dynasty (1644–1911), 19th century. Painted enamel on copper alloy. In our Asian Art department.

The Met came alive with teen creativity! ✨ Relive moments from the 12th annual #TeensTakeTheMet.

The night was filled with live performances, art making activities, workshops, and gallery experiences created for and by teens from across all five boroughs.

Shoutout to the 60+ community partners who helped make this celebration possible!

Made memories with us? Follow @metteens to stay in the loop about upcoming teen events, internships, programs, and opportunities at The Met.

Do you recognize these Saints?

This detailed drawing shows studies of the heads and hands of Saints John and Peter.

Raphael captured the figures as if they are about to speak, with slightly open mouths and focused expressions as they look toward the scene unfolding nearby. Peter appears somewhat questioning, with raised hands, while John seems calm and accepting, his hands folded at his chest.

Although Raphael carefully finished the faces and hands, he left much of the clothing and bodies only lightly sketched, yet these unfinished areas still create a strong visual effect.

📣 See "Raphael: Sublime Poetry" on view through June 28 at The Met and discover the artistic process of one of history’s most beloved and influential artists.
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✏️ Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi) (Italian, 1483–1520), "Heads and Hands of Two Apostles (“Auxiliary Cartoon” for the Transfiguration)," ca. 1519–20. Black chalk drawn freehand over pounce marks (spolvero underdrawing), traces of white gouache highlights, on paper. The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, Presented by a Body of Subscribers in 1846.

When Lillian Bassman submitted photographs like this one to Harper’s Bazaar, they came back with a warning...

“This is dangerous,” art director Alexey Brodovitch scrawled on one of the prints. Coming from Bassman's experimentally-minded mentor, the words had the ring of admiration. He allowed this work to run in the magazine, even though it more closely resembles illustration than anything made with a camera.

Bassman achieved this graphic effect in the darkroom by selectively exposing areas of the paper to light. Using a cardboard mask cut through with a pinhole, she traced the contours of the image. The results show silhouettes of the garment but leave much else to the imagination.

📣 See "Lillian Bassman: Bazaar and Beyond" on view at The Met through July 26.
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📸 Lillian Bassman, "Variant of 'The Yellow Smock Coat,'" 1950. Gelatin silver print with applied media. Gift of Lizzie and Eric Himmel, 2025 © Estate of Lillian Bassman

Dragons, shapeshifters, and hybrid creatures await! Spend a special after-hours evening at @metcloisters to celebrate spring.

On Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm, join us for:

🎶 Music in the gardens by Noah Bless Latin Jazz Quartet
💃 A Cumbia dance class led by artist and cultural educator Alan Mijai
🔍 Spot creatures that call Fort Tryon Park home with naturalist Alexandra Wang
🕹️ Try your luck at a special game of Lotería
✏️ Design your own mythical hybrid being

🎟️ Link in bio for tickets.
———
📸 Argenis Apolinario

Dragons, shapeshifters, and hybrid creatures await! Spend a special after-hours evening at @metcloisters to celebrate spring.

On Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm, join us for:

🎶 Music in the gardens by Noah Bless Latin Jazz Quartet
💃 A Cumbia dance class led by artist and cultural educator Alan Mijai
🔍 Spot creatures that call Fort Tryon Park home with naturalist Alexandra Wang
🕹️ Try your luck at a special game of Lotería
✏️ Design your own mythical hybrid being

🎟️ Link in bio for tickets.
———
📸 Argenis Apolinario

Dragons, shapeshifters, and hybrid creatures await! Spend a special after-hours evening at @metcloisters to celebrate spring.

On Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm, join us for:

🎶 Music in the gardens by Noah Bless Latin Jazz Quartet
💃 A Cumbia dance class led by artist and cultural educator Alan Mijai
🔍 Spot creatures that call Fort Tryon Park home with naturalist Alexandra Wang
🕹️ Try your luck at a special game of Lotería
✏️ Design your own mythical hybrid being

🎟️ Link in bio for tickets.
———
📸 Argenis Apolinario

Dragons, shapeshifters, and hybrid creatures await! Spend a special after-hours evening at @metcloisters to celebrate spring.

On Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm, join us for:

🎶 Music in the gardens by Noah Bless Latin Jazz Quartet
💃 A Cumbia dance class led by artist and cultural educator Alan Mijai
🔍 Spot creatures that call Fort Tryon Park home with naturalist Alexandra Wang
🕹️ Try your luck at a special game of Lotería
✏️ Design your own mythical hybrid being

🎟️ Link in bio for tickets.
———
📸 Argenis Apolinario

Dragons, shapeshifters, and hybrid creatures await! Spend a special after-hours evening at @metcloisters to celebrate spring.

On Thursday, May 21 at 6 pm, join us for:

🎶 Music in the gardens by Noah Bless Latin Jazz Quartet
💃 A Cumbia dance class led by artist and cultural educator Alan Mijai
🔍 Spot creatures that call Fort Tryon Park home with naturalist Alexandra Wang
🕹️ Try your luck at a special game of Lotería
✏️ Design your own mythical hybrid being

🎟️ Link in bio for tickets.
———
📸 Argenis Apolinario

📣 JUST ANNOUNCED 📣 Rhiannon Giddens (@rhiannongiddens) performs at The Met this June in “Juba Zinga Jubilee”!

🪕 Join the legendary musician and her all-star band—including Francesco Turrisi (@francescoturrisimusic), Niwel Tsumbu (@niweltsumbuguitar), Rowan Corbett (@rowan.corbett), and Jake Blount (@jake.m.blount)—for an evening of reimagined music that takes root in early banjo tunes. Discover how 1840's and ‘50s banjo music illuminates connections between Africa and Europe on American soil and embark on a journey through this essential instrument's role in U.S. music history.

🗓️ June 22 at 7 pm
📍 The Met
🎟️ Link in bio to buy tickets and learn more.

#MetLiveArts #MetMuseum

📷: Karen Cox

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrate with the special people in your life at The Met and @metcloisters!

🎨 Wander through new exhibitions and revisit the classics you love in the galleries.
✏️ Enjoy hands-on family activities for all ages.
🍽️ Take a break and enjoy a snack or beverage.
———
📸 @lifeofhannahthomas
📸 @audities

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrate with the special people in your life at The Met and @metcloisters!

🎨 Wander through new exhibitions and revisit the classics you love in the galleries.
✏️ Enjoy hands-on family activities for all ages.
🍽️ Take a break and enjoy a snack or beverage.
———
📸 @lifeofhannahthomas
📸 @audities

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

“Costume Art” is now open at The Met! 💫

This show is the inaugural exhibition in the new, nearly 12,000-square-foot galleries adjacent to the Great Hall.

The @metcostumeinstitute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body. These pairings are organized into a series of thematic body types that reflect their enduring presence across time and cultures.

📣 See “Costume Art” on view through January 10, 2027.

Meet Met Fellow Ellen Purdy. 🔬

For the past two years, Purdy has been exploring how scientific research informs conservation treatment. Since discovering this career path during her undergraduate studies, she has pursued her interests in chemistry and art history with dedication. Now she’s bringing that work into the galleries!

Join us throughout May for “Research Out Loud: Met Fellows Present 2026,” a series of talks, hands-on activities, and tours. Link in bio.

Can you guess which famous artist once owned this painting by Paul Cézanne? Hint: he was known for paintings inspired by his garden...

Cézanne often has been called a master of still-life painting. He transformed apples, draped cloth, and a potted plant into a richly textured still life filled with structure, light, and movement.

The artist actually preferred to paint artificial flowers that would not wilt over the course of his work. The Met’s picture is one of only a few in which the artist explored flowering plants or freshly cut flowers.

Answer: If you guessed Claude Monet, you're correct!

This painting was gifted to Monet in 1894 by fellow painter Paul Helleu, who likely knew Monet would appreciate its vibrant primroses, reminiscent of those in his gardens at Giverny. Monet was an avid admirer and collector of Cézanne’s work, eventually owning more than a dozen of his paintings.
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🍎 Paul Cézanne (French, Aix-en-Provence 1839–1906 Aix-en-Provence), "Still Life with Apples and a Pot of Primroses," ca. 1890. Oil on canvas. In our @meteuropeanpaintings collection on view in gallery 826.