Met News: February 2020

Explore the new Film Archive initiative, "Sahel" Preview, and Exhibition Highlights [View in browser]( [The Met]( [Met News]( [February 2020]( This year, as part of The Met's 150th anniversary, the Museum has launched a major film archive initiative. Every Friday throughout 2020, we are releasing one new film that can be found in our website series [From the Vaults]( and on [Instagram]( using the hashtags #FromTheVaults and #FilmFriday. The archive comprises over 1,500 films from the 1920s onward that were both made and collected by the Museum. Included are rarely seen artist profiles, documentaries, and animations, as well as process films about specific art-making techniques and behind-the-scenes footage of the Museum. We hope they will delight, surprise, and transport you. [Watch now →]( [Inside The Met]( [From the Vaults: Welcome to The Met Film Archive]( In this blog post introducing the yearlong archival film series From the Vaults, learn more about the history of making, collecting, and preserving film at The Met. [Read now →]( [Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara]( Watch a video preview of the exhibition [Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara](, on view at The Met Fifth Avenue through May 10, 2020. [Watch now →]( [Steadfast and Pure: How the "Dresden Green" Diamond Became a Symbol of Saxon Rule]( At 41 carats, the gemstone is the largest known natural green diamond, now on view in the exhibition [Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe](. [Read now →]( [Damascus Room]( The Damascus Room is a residential reception chamber (qaʿa) typical of the late Ottoman period in Damascus, Syria. [Read now →]( [The Beginning of The Met's Library, Part II]( Continuing the series on the early history of the library at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [Read now →]( [Exhibition Highlights]( [Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara]( JUST OPENED Through May 10, 2020 The Met Fifth Avenue [From Géricault to Rockburne: Selections from the Michael and Juliet Rubenstein Gift]( JUST OPENED Through March 29, 2020 The Met Breuer [Pen, Lens & Soul: The Story of The Beautiful Project]( CLOSING SOON Through February 24, 2020 The Met Fifth Avenue [The Facade Commission: Wangechi Mutu, The NewOnes, will free Us]( Through June 8, 2020 The Met Fifth Avenue [From The Met Store]( [Erté's Timeless Style]( Our sleek new line celebrates the Art Deco creations of Romain de Tirtoff (French, born Russia,1892–1990), better known as Erté. The artist enjoyed a multifaceted career as a costume and set designer; he is especially renowned for the fabulous covers he created for Harper's Bazaar magazine from 1915–1936. [Shop the collection →]( [What's Your Met Story?]( As part of The Met's 150th anniversary, Met Stories is a [new video series]( and year-long social media initiative that shares unexpected and compelling stories gathered from the many people who visit The Met. Tell us your Met story—you can even upload photos and videos!—and you might see your story featured on our social media channels or emails in commemoration of The Met's 150th anniversary in 2020. [Tell us your story →]( [The Met Fifth Avenue]( 1000 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10028 [The Met Cloisters]( 99 Margaret Corbin Drive Fort Tryon Park New York, NY 10040 [The Met Breuer]( 945 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10021 [metmuseum.org]( [Manage Your Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe]( For more information about the exhibitions, including sponsorship credits, see [Sahel: Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara](, [Making Marvels: Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe](, [From Géricault to Rockburne: Selections from the Michael and Juliet Rubenstein Gift](, [Pen, Lens & Soul: The Story of The Beautiful Project](, and [The Facade Commission: Wangechi Mutu, The NewOnes, will free Us](. Your support allows the Museum to collect, conserve, and present 5,000 years of world art. [Donate now.]( Comments are welcome at [metmuseum_newsletter@metmuseum.org](mailto:MetMuseum_Newsletter@metmuseum.org). Images: Damascus Room, Syria, Damascus, A.H. 1119/A.D. 1707. Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Fund, 1970 (1970.170) | Franz Michael Diespach (before 1725–ca. 1791), incorporating pieces by Jean Jacques Pallard (1701–1776). [Hat Ornament with the "Dresden Green" from the Diamond Garniture]( (detail), Dresden and Prague, 1769; older elements Vienna, 1746. Grünes Gewölbe, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (VIII 30) | The new library just to the right of the northwestern view of the Weston Wing was completed in 1910. | Equestrian, 19th–20th century. Bamana peoples. Mali, Ouassabo, Bougouni District. Private collection. | Dorothea Rockburne (American [born Canada], 1932). Copper Element # 1, 2002. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Promised Gift of Michael A. Rubenstein, from the collection of Michael A. and Juliet van Vliet Rubenstein. © 2019 Dorothea Rockburne / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York | Madylin Nixon-Taplet, The Beautiful Project Intern 2016. Coach Amber and Kenady at Black Girl Image Maker Workshop, 2018. Courtesy the artist. | Wangechi Mutu (Kenyan, born 1972). [The Seated II]( (detail), 2019. Work of art © Wangechi Mutu. Courtesy of the Artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels