Bridging the old and the new through inclusion
The Metropolitan Museum of Art bridges the old and the not so old through inclusion of art through the ages and cultures. Cultures are defined by the art of each with the Metropolitan working hard to represent everyone. The result is this magnificent museum collection so easily perused via this amazing assemblage of one giant book, accessible to everyone with strength and a desk or table.YES, this is one big book weighing in at 7 pounds. Included is a table of contents designed separate from the book as we can see the art historical timeline lightweight! What a majestic publication this book is! Perfect for everyone! If you love the Metropolitan, you will love this book.

Exquisite craftsmanship in this Art book.
This is a lush and beautiful book. It is bound well, nice heavy paper and the printing of script and images is amazing. A wonderful purchase!

Never Before – A must own book on art
Probably the most creative and beautiful art book published in decades.It takes a very creative approach to the presentation of the astoundingly vast collection of the Metropolitan Museum. The book is beautifully presented with a time line and color coded sections for different themes. It makes the presentation very coherent and easy to follow in a totally different way from other art books. As was the objective, it succeeded to discover infinite connections in Art History.The works exhibited in the book are categorized in the different sections:Material. TechniquePeriod. Place. StyleObject. SubjectEach work has a short introduction along with references to the page where more detailed explanations and larger photos are available.A substantial series of essays follows, with elaborate explanations of the many art categories and their sub categories, pulling the collection together in yet, another creative but pedagogical way.Finally, a glossary of terminology is included that clarifies many of the terms found in the book.As a child, I spent many Sundays with my mother at the Metropolitan Museum. It was our Sunday playground. Looking through this book was like looking through a family album, it sent chills up my spine.ART= is clearly the appropriate name for this book. I will be buying a stack as a reserve for the ideal special occasion gift.

Revolutionary and wonderful new take on art!
Astounding! I got this as a gift, and have been unable to put it down. It is past time for a new overview of art, with connections beyond chronology and geography. Pieces of artwork, gloriously photographed, are arranged on these pages in wide categories of materials, subjects, and styles. As a teacher, I believe that this radical reorganization respects all viewers, not just scholars, enabling unexpected questions, insights and discoveries. Roll over, Janson!

Un libro appassionante, ammiccante, esaustivo per farsi un’idea ma anche fonte di spunti per approfondimenti ulteriori.L’eclettismo nell’arte è un dono. Questo libro ci fa apprezzare quello che noi riteniamo bello dai primordi alla contemporaneità, e ci ricorda che molto spesso quello che noi riteniamo bello è stato selezionato nei millenni e tramandato.Il MET ci porta per mano lungo questo percorso. Ci sorprende con questo avvicinare l’arte della Polinesia ai sumeri al cubismo etc etc. Per i neofiti è stupore per i conoscitori idem.Un esempio per tutti – oggetti/soggetti: fiori. Da Degas a Tutankhanun,da Tiffany aGeirgia O’Keefe,dal pannello di Ogata Kõri a Van Gogh e così via. È da consigliare ai giovani un mirabolante turbinio dalla preistoria ad oggi di ARTE. Una conferma per gli estimatori del MET e di chi ne cura i bollettini e le esposizioni.Ottima la qualità di stampa, immagini molto curate, fotografie eccellenti. Davvero un bel volume, da sfogliare e ri-sfogliare nel tempo. Ne sono entusiasta e lo consiglio, anche come idea regalo.5 stelle.Spero la mia esperienza possa esservi d’aiuto nel valutare i vostri acquisti, grazie e alla prossima.

The book is comprehensive in its scope and content. The curatorial concept and organisation of the artworks is certainly as stated in the blurb “unconventional” I’ll reserve judgement on whether this will lead to making connections and insights, until I have explored further. Although picture captions in the essays section e.g p045 Fig. 3. without any text description seem ridiculously obtuse.What is completely bizarre is the books design. When opened the book is the size of a large art book PLUS half that width again, making it impossible to hold. This is to accommodate a very small, poorly realised, and utterly underwhelming timeline with 2 pages on the front and 3 on the reverse. The adhesive on this detached within 10 secs of opening.The print quality of the reproduced artworks is lacklustre and lacks vibrancy.I can’t believe the publishers were happy with the quality of the book when delivered from the Chinese printers, but the already considerable delay in publication, and the huge investment of time and money must have overridden quality control considerations.Disappointing!