"Subjects and Symbols in American Sculpture: Selections from the Permanent Collection"
2000-04-11 until 2000-08-20
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NY, USA United States of America

Nineteenth-century American artists regarded ideal themes—those inspired by mythology, history, and literature—as the most challenging and venerable in the hierarchy of genres. Such subjects provided an opportunity for sculptors to demonstrate their familiarity with allegorical, historical, and literary topics, their skill at incorporating identifying attributes into their compositions, and frequently also their expertise in rendering the nude.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents Subjects and Symbols in American Sculpture: Selections from the Permanent Collection, an exhibition of some thirty-five works inspired by ideal themes and created between 1850 and 1935. Drawn entirely from the Museum's extensive holdings of American art, the exhibition includes sculptures in bronze, marble, and plaster by such esteemed and diverse artists as Hiram Powers, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, and Paul Manship.

Related Links:

Indepth Arts Resources for the State of New York

Other Important Exhibitions in New York