Books published by publisher Metropolitan Museum of Art

A fascinating look at the splendor of the French court at Versailles through the eyes of its numerous visitors What was it like to visit one of the most magnificent courts of Europe? Based on a wealth of contemporary documents and surviving works of art, this lavish book explores the experiences of those who flocked to the palace and grounds of Versailles when it was the seat of the French monarchy. Engaging essays describe methods of transportation, the elaborate codes of dress and etiquette, precious diplomatic gifts, royal audiences, and tours of the buildings and gardens. Also presented are the many types of visitors and guests who eagerly made their way to this center of power and culture, including day-trippers and Grand Tourists, European diplomats, overseas ambassadors, incognito travelers, and Americans. Through paintings and portraits, furniture, tapestries, carpets, costumes and uniforms, porcelain, gold boxes, sculpture, arms and armor, engravings, and guidebooks, Visitors to Versailles illuminates what travelers encountered at court and what impressions, gifts, and souvenirs they took home with them. Versailles continues to impress millions of tourists today just as it enchanted generations of ancien régime visitors, whose experiences are brought to life in this sumptuously illustrated volume.

The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, watercolors, and drawings constitutes one of the most remarkable groupings of avant-garde works of art from the mid-19th to the early 20th century ever given to The Metropolitan Museum of Art. A revised and expanded edition of the 1989 publication Masterpieces of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism: The Annenberg Collection, this handsome volume presents more than fifty masterworks by such luminaries as Manet, Degas, Morisot, Renoir, Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Matisse, accompanied by elucidating texts and a wealth of comparative illustrations.

Contributors include Francoise Cachin, Anne Distel, Susan Alyson Stein, and Gary Tinterow. Definitive overview of Georges Seurat (French, 1859–1891), the great Neo-Impressionist artist. Includes an in-depth biographical discussion and an examination of his intense interest in light and in its effects on color, which led him to develop pointillism, the technique most closely associated with him. The reader's understanding of this innovation is enriched by a careful presentation of Seurat's theories of color and light.460p, 352 illustrations (244 in color).

Words and music for thirty-seven of the most beloved traditional lullabies are gathered in this lavishly illustrated songbook. From the enduring “Rock-a-Bye Baby” to the winsome “Brahms’ Lullaby” to the amusing “Little Boy Blue,” each song is thoughtfully matched with works of art from the Metropolitan Museum’s vast collections. Paintings by Vincent van Gogh and Mary Cassatt, a photograph by Eliot Porter of his infant son, and an Eskimo stone carving of a mother and child are among the many works that grace the pages of this stunning book. A beautiful combination of art and music as, once again, artwork from the Metropolitan Museum of Art illustrates classic lullabies.