Jonathan Conlin

New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's greatest cultural institutions. Its holdings encompass a vast range—including paintings, sculptures, costumes, instruments, and arms and armour—and span millennia, from ancient Egypt and Greece to Islamic art to European Old Masters and modern artists. How did the Met amass this trove, and what do the experiences of the...

Published in the National Gallery's Bicentenary year, this is the story of how one of the world's finest collections of paintings was formed by (and for) the people of Britain. For two hundred years the National Gallery has been at the heart of the nation's life. Established in 1824 and situated in the centre of London with a commitment to...