Points of View

This collection of essays provides dynamic new perspectives on 100 works of art that span centuries of human creativity around the globe.

Across ages and cultures, artists have found inspiration in the human urge for connection. This compendium of short, thought-provoking essays by the staff of The Metropolitan Museum of Art focuses on 100 selected works from across the Museum—both famous highlights and little-known gems—to explore art's expression of connectivity through the lenses of relationships, the self, politics, spirituality, and the environment.

The more than two dozen contributors, including curators, conservators, designers, editors, educators, and librarians, investigate objects chosen from outside their areas of expertise that fascinate them, challenge them, or arouse their curiosity.

Contributions range from reflections on an enslaved girl who served as a foil for the Sasanian warrior-king Bahram Gur, both depicted on a fifth-century silver plate from Iran, to musings on Giorgio de Chirico's family history drawn from his painting Ariadne (1913). The result is a host of lively, engaging, and unexpected viewpoints on The Met collection, offering surprising insights into the works discussed and into the connections they inspire with our world and ourselves.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press