Visitors view exhibits during the press preview of the Galleries for British Decorative Arts and Design in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the United States, Feb. 24, 2020. The Galleries for British Decorative Arts and Design in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) will reopen to the public on March 2, according to a press preview on Monday. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Galleries for British Decorative Arts and Design in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Mets) will reopen to the public on March 2, according to a press preview on Monday.
A highlight of The Met's 150th anniversary in 2020, the renovated galleries house nearly 700 works created between 1500 and 1900, including a large number of new acquisitions, which offer a chronological exploration and fresh perspective on Britain's entrepreneurial spirit and complex history during this period.
The collection comprises a wide array of furniture, ceramics, silver, tapestries, and other textiles from the Tudor, Stuart, Georgian, and Victorian eras, ranging in styles from Renaissance, Baroque, and Rococo to Neo-Classical and Neo-Gothic.
"The Met's extraordinary collection of British decorative arts is unparalleled on this side of the Atlantic, and the redesigned galleries will breathe new life into the collection in compelling and unexpected ways," said Max Hollein, director of The Met.
"This ambitious narrative of bold creativity in an entrepreneurial society will have particular resonance in New York, where historic hubs of manufacture have recently been reinvigorated by new design practices and an innovative economy," said Sarah Lawrence, the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Curator in Charge of The Met's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts.
A variety of programs will be offered in conjunction with the opening of the new British Galleries, including a panel discussion titled "The British Galleries Re-Envisioned" and two musical performances, according to The Met.
