Nautilus Cup, Dutch (Utrecht), 1602. Nautilus shell, gilt silver. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Saint Sebastian, Austrian (Salzburg), 17th century. Ivory. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Oracle Figure (Kafigeledjo), Senufo culture, Côte d’Ivoire, 19th – mid-20th century. Wood, iron, bone, porcupine quills, feathers, commercially woven fiber, organic material. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Terracotta Hadra hydra (water jar), Ptolemaic Crete, late 3rd century BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.The Dead Christ with Angels, Édouard Manet, 1864. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Amemo (Mask of Humankind), El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944), 2010. Aluminum and copper wire. Installation at the Brooklyn Museum.Pierced Screen, Mughal India, second half of the 16th century. Red sandstone. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Marble funerary altar of Cominia Tyche, Roman, ca. 90–100 CE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Peak (?), El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944), 2010. Installed at the Brooklyn Museum.Central Governor, Saul Melman, 2010, installation with gold leaf and saliva, and Untitled, Matt Mullican, 1997. PS1, Queens.Church of Saint Vincent FerrerAfrum I (White), James Turrell (American, b. 1943), 1967. Projected light. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.E 65th St. and LexingtonLine outside the Rain Room, MoMA, July 20, 2013Rain Room, rAndom International (based in London), 2012. Installed in lot beside The Museum of Modern Art, West 54 St.Ronin, James Turrell (American, b. 1943), 1968. LED light. Collection of the artist, on display at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.Gli (Wall), El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944), 2010. Aluminum and copper wire. Installation at the Brooklyn Museum.Detail from a Scene of the Legend of Saint Germain of Paris and the History of His Relics, Île-de-France, Paris, ca. 1245–47. Pot-metal and colorless glass with vitreous paint. The Cloisters.Aten Reign, James Turrell (American, b. 1943), 2013. Rotunda, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.Twisted Face Mask, Veracruz (Mexico), 600–900. Ceramic and pigment. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Reclining Nude, Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884–1920), 1917. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Two Hands, Claudette Schreuders (b. 1973, Pretoria, South Africa), 2010. Jelutong wood, enamel, oil paint. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Terracotta comic actors, Greek, late 5th–early 4th century BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Christ Presenting the Keys to Saint Peter and the Law to Saint Paul, Germany, Westphalia, 1150–1200. Elephant ivory. The Cloisters.The Third-Class Carriage, Honoré Daumier (French, 1808–79), ca. 1862–64. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Atrium of the Greek and Roman Galleries, Metropolitan Museum of ArtUpper East Side, ManhattanPair of ewers with wild men, Nuremberg (?), ca. 1500. Gilt silver, enamel, and paint. The Cloisters.House exterior, HarlemCuxa Cloister, the Cloisters, Fort Tryon ParkPool, Meg Webster, 2013. Installed at PS1, Queens.Commemorative monument, Maya (Guatemala), first quarter of the 8th century. Limestone with traces of paint. Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan from the Guatemalan government.Eagle Attacking a Mountain Lion, Kawanabe Kyōsai (Japanese, 1831–89), 1885. Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Roundel with silver stain. The Cloisters.Handle in the Shape of a Dragon’s Head, Eastern Han dynasty (China), 1st–2nd century. Gilded bronze with traces of red pigment. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Christ Child with an Apple, workshop of Michel Erhart (Ulm, Germany), ca. 1470–80. Willow with original paint and traces of gilding.Space Womb, Long Island City, QueensColony, a77 (Argentinian). Installed in PS1, Queens.Somewhere in Manhattan5 Pointz, Long Island City, Queens, as seen from the 7 trainTomb of Ermengol VII, Count of Urgell, Catalan, Lerida, ca. 1300–50. Limestone with traces of paint. The Cloisters.Terracotta statuette of a grotesque man with a shield, Greek, 2nd–1st century BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art.Saint Roch, Normandy, France, early 16th century. Oak with paint and gilding. The Cloisters.Beaker with Apes, South Lowlands, probably Burgundian Territories, ca. 1425–50. Silver, silver gilt, and painted enamel. The Cloisters.Three Apes Assembling a Trestle Table, Germany (?), 1480–1500. Colorless glass with vitreous paint and silver stain. The Cloisters.Ink Splash, El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944), 2010. Aluminum and copper wire. Installation at the Brooklyn Museum.5 Pointz, Long Island City, QueensLangon Chapel, The Cloisters, Fort Tryon Park
All photographs by Renée DeVoe Mertz, July 19–21, 2013.
Sweeper in the Forbidden CityLotus at the Summer Palace, BeijingTea in BeijingHuang Binyan, Rabbit (after Jeff Koons), 2004, at Zhong Fang Jiao Gallery in the 798 Art District, BeijingYan Pei-Ming, Landscape of Childhood, displayed at UCCA in the 798 Art DistrictVendor and stall at the Night Market in BeijingCrabs at the Night Market
Vajrabhairava, 1368–1644, National Art Museum, BeijingBoju Li, Western Zhou Dynasty, National Art MuseumCave 7 or 8, Yungang Caves, Datong (Northern Wei)Cave 10, Yungang Caves, Datong (Northern Wei)Yungang Caves
Nine Dragon Screen [detail], DatongHanging Temple, DatongEntrance to the Hanging TempleConfucian statue at the Hanging TempleTerracotta soldiers from the Qin Shi Huangdi necropolis, Xi’anTerracotta figure of a high ranking officer from the Qin Shi Huangdi necropolisFolk art vendors near the Qianling Tomb
One of several giant statues in the Famen Temple complex
Roof detail at the Great Mosque, Xi’an
The Great Mosque, Xi’anCricket cages outside a store in the Muslim Quarter, Xi’anBird cages in the Muslim QuarterTrinket stall with baby booties“Golden Monster” at the Shaanxi History Museum, Xi’anZhuang village of Ping AnLongji rice terracesIn the hills around Ping An
Bamboo near Ping An
“Minority village” near Longsheng
Merchants on the Li RiverWater buffalo along the Li RiverCormorant fisherman in YangshuoYangshuoKarst formations and fields in Yangshuo
Henri Matisse, The Serf (1900-04) in front of Bathers by a River (1909–10, 1913, 1916–17)
Pablo Picasso, Half-Length Female Nude [detail], 1906Amedeo Modigliani, Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz [detail of Berthe], 1916
Amadeo de Souza Cardoso, The Leap of the Rabbit, 1911Maurice de Vlaminck, Houses at Chatou, c. 1905Alexei Jawlensky, Girl with the Green Face, 1910Henri Matisse, Woman Leaning on Her Hands, 1905Pablo Picasso, Head of a Woman (Fernande), autumn 1909Pablo Picasso, Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler, autumn 1910Gino Severini, Festival in Montmarte, 1913
Jacques Lipchitz, Seated Figure [detail], 1917Alberto Giacometti, Diego Seated in the Studio [detail], 1950Alberto Giacometti, Walking Man II [detail], 1960
Theo van Doesburg, Counter-Composition VIII, 1924Marc Chagall, The Praying Jew, 1923 (after a 1914 composition)Henri Matisse, Lorette with Cup of Coffee [detail], 1916–17Constantin Brâncusi, Sleeping Muse, 1910Giorgio de Chirico, The Philosopher’s Conquest, 1913–14Marcel Duchamp, Hat Rack, 1964 (1916 original now lost)Hans Bellmer, Untitled, 1951Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist, 1903–04Constantin Brâncusi, Suffering, 1907Juan Gris, Portrait of Pablo Picasso, 1912Constantin Brâncusi, Two Penguins, 1911–14Pablo Picasso, Abstraction: Background with Blue Cloudy Sky, 1930
Emil Nolde, Red-Haired Girl, 1919Victor Brauner, Gemini, 1938Henri Matisse, Girl in Yellow and Blue with Guitar, 1939Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child, 1921
Henri Matisse, Woman before an Aquarium [detail], 1921–23Giorgio de Chirico, The Eventuality of Destiny [detail], 1927
Constantin Brâncusi, White Negress II (1928), Leda (c. 1920), and Golden Bird (1919/20, base c. 1922)Yves Tanguy, The Rapidity of Sleep [detail], 1945Paul Klee, Sunset, 1930Joan Miró, Woman [detail], 1934Gino Severini, Still Life (Centrifugal Expansion of Colors), 1916Lyonel Feininger, Longeuil, Normandie, 1909Alberto Giacometti, Spoon Woman, 1926–27Pavel Tchelitchew, Untitled, 1948Georges Rouault, The Dwarf, 1937Aleksei Alekseevich Morgunov, Portrait of Nathalija Gontcharova and Mihajl Larionov [detail of Gontcharova], 1913Arshile Gorky, The Plough and the Song (II), 1946
Ludwig Meidner, Max Herrmann-Neisse [detail], 1913Le Corbusier, Untitled [detail], 1932
Jean (Hans) Arp, Growth (1938/60) in front of Joan Miró’s The Policeman (1925)Leonora Carrington, Juan Soriano de Lacandón [detail], 1964John D. Graham, Untitled, 1945
Max Beckmann, Self-Portrait [detail], 1937John D. Graham, Apotheosis [detail], 1955-57Matta, The Earth Is a Man [detail], 1942Joan Miró, Two Personages in Love with a Woman [detail of woman], 1936Matta, Untitled (Flying People Eaters) [detail], 1942Salvador Dalí, Venus de Milo with Drawers [detail], 1936Pablo Picasso, The Red Armchair [detail], 1931
Victor Brauner, Acolo, 1949John D. Graham, Untitled, 1944Alberto Giacometti, Head, 1934Yves Tanguy, Untitled, 1928Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Forgotten Game), c. 1949Salvador Dalí, A Chemist Lifting with Extreme Precaution the Cuticle of a Grand Piano [detail], 1936Victor Brauner, Turning Point of Thirst, 1934Salvador Dalí, Portrait of Gala with Two Lamb Chops in Equilibrium upon Her Shoulder, 1934Surrealist gallery with René Magritte’s The Banquet (1958) and a wall of Cornell boxes.
All photos by author. Paintings shown without frames are cropped to varying degrees. Photographs showing only a small portion (half or less) of the original objects are listed as details.
Vessel in the Form of a Seated Ruler with a Pampas Cat, ceramic and pigment, 250/550 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruBowl Depicting a Mask (Possibly a Katchina), above an Abstract Bighorn-Sheep Head, ceramic and pigment, 1300/1400 CE, Four Mile Polychrome, White Mountain Redware; Cibola region, east-central Arizona, United StatesFigure of a Woman in Ceremonial Dress, ceramic, 700/900 CE, possibly Totonac, Nopiloa; Veracruz, south-central Gulf Coast, MexicoSeated Joined Couple, ceramic and pigment, 200 BCE/300 CE, Nayarit; Nayarit, MexicoMiniature Mask, wood, gold foil, shell, pigment, and resin, 1300/1400 CE, possibly Mixtec; possibly northern Oaxaca, MexicoStanding Figurine with Missing Leg, jade, 800/400 BCE, Olmec; Guerrero, MexicoVessel Depicting a Mythological Scene, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Petén region, GuatemalaPortrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruHead Fragments from Large Ceremonial Jars, ceramic and pigment, 700/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; Pacheco, south coast, PeruHieroglyphic Panel, limestone, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; Usumacinta River area, Mexico or GuatemalaStoryteller Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100/800 CE, Jalisco; Ameca Valley, Jalisco, MexicoVase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, GuatemalaBowl Depicting a Hero-Hunter with a Heron Headdress, Bow, and Arrows, along with a Rabbit Hunter; ceramic and pigment (Classic Mimbres Black-on-white); Mimbres branch of the Mogollon; New Mexico, United StatesMosaic Disk with a Mythological and Historical Scene, turquoise, shell, and sandstone, 1400/1500 CE, Mixtec; Northern Oaxaca, MexicoMask from an Incense Burner Portraying the Old Deity of Fire, ceramic and pigment, 450/750 CE, Teotihuacan; Teotihuacan, MexicoBallcourt Panel, limestone, 700/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; possibly La Corona, Usumacinta River area, GuatemalaFigurine of an Aristocratic Lady, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, MexicoVessel of the Dancing Lords, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, GuatemalaRitual Impersonator of the Deity Xipe Totec, ceramic and pigment, 1450/1500 CE, Aztec; possibly central Veracruz, MexicoFemale Figurine, ceramic and pigment, 500/400 BCE, Tlatilco; Tlatilco, Valley of Mexico, MexicoVessels, ceramic and pigment, Late Classic Maya, Mexico or GuatemalaStela, limestone, 702 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Calakmul, Campeche or Quintana Roo, MexicoJar in the Form of a Standing Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruFemale Effigy, terracotta and pigmented slip, 200/100 BCE, Chupícuaro; Guanajuato or Michoacán, MexicoStanding Male Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, MexicoPendant in the Form of a Figure, shell stone, silver, copper, and cotton, 400/800 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari; coastal Peru or highland BoliviaCarved Vessel Depicting a Lord Wearing a Water-Lily Headdress, ceramic and pigment, 600/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Chocholá; Yucatán or Campeche, MexicoPortrait Vessel of a Young Man with a Scarred Lip, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruBowl Depicting a Harvest Dance, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, PeruPortrait Vessel of a Man with a Cleft Lip and Tattoos, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruPedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 1100/1300 CE, Coclé; possibly La Peña, Veraguas province, PanamaVessel Depicting a Prisoner with Avian Captors, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruVessel in the Form of a Llama, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, PeruPortrait Vessel of a Ruler, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruRattle in the Form of a Mythological Figure, ceramic and pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, MexicoVessel in the Form of a Royal Messenger, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruFigure of a Standing Warrior, ceramic with pigment, 650/800 CE, Late Classic Maya, Jaina; Campeche or Yucatán, MexicoVessel in the Form of a Courtly Musician, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, PeruVessel in the Form of a Warrior, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; Chimbote, Santa Valley, north coast, PeruDrinking Cup (Kero) with an Abstracted Masked Figure, ceramic and pigment, 600/1000 CE, Tiwanaku-Wari, Bolivia or PeruBowl Depicting a Swarm of Mice, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, PeruDouble Pendant in the Form of a Mythical Caiman, gold with plaster restoration of boar tusks, 800/1200 CE, Coclé; Coclé province, PanamaVase of Seven Gods, Ah Maxam (active mid-late 8th century), ceramic and pigment, 750/800 CE, Late Classic Maya; vicinity of Naranjo, Petén region, GuatemalaMantle (detail), camelid wool, 100 BCE/200 CE, Paracas Necropolis; Paracas peninsula, south coast, PeruDouble-Spouted Vessel Depicting Ritual Masks, ceramic and pigment, 180 BCE/500 CE, Nazca; South coast, PeruPedestal Bowl, ceramic and pigment, 700/1100 CE, Coclé; possibly Los Santos province, PanamaJar in the Form of a Seated Figure, ceramic and pigment, 100 BCE/500 CE, Moche; North coast, Peru
Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara), gilt copper alloy, late 14th century, Yuan/early Ming dynasty, ChinaGonzaze Myō-ō, Nakabayashi Gennai, wood with polychromy, 1680 [Edo period], JapanStanding Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, ChinaArmored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, ChinaHead of a Bodhisattva, stucco with traces of pigment, 4th/6th century, Pakistan or Afghanistan, Gandharan regionVajrasattva Seated on Lotus Flower with Hands Grasping a Thunderbolt (Vajra) and Bell (Ghanta) with Thunderbolt Handle, gilt copper alloy, Tang dynasty, late 8th/early 9th century, ChinaDetail of saddle on “Camel with Rider,” earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, ChinaPlaque with Demonic Mask, Late Neolithic period, Longshan culture or Shang dynasty, 2nd millenium BCEPensive Bodhisattva, gray schist, 2nd/3rd century, Pakistan, Gandharan regionHead of a Buddhist Deity, Possibly Prajnaparamita, sandstone, Angkor period, 13th century, CambodiaShūkongōjin, wood with traces of polychromy, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], JapanFemale Musician, earthenware with polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, ChinaArmored Guardian (Wushiyong), earthenware with polychrome pigments and gilding, Tang dynasty, late 7th/early 8th century, ChinaDing (tripod food caldron) with tao-tie design, bronze, Shang dynasty, 11th century BCE, China“Running in Advance” Mask (Shinshōtoku), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], JapanEquestrienne, earthenware with traces of polychrome pigments, Tang dynasty, 2nd quarter of 8th century, ChinaFour-Armed Sarasvati, Goddess of Learning, Seated in Lotus Position (Padmasana), chloritic schist, Hoyasala period, 13th century; India, Karnataka, Mysore regionVotive Plaque with God Vishnu; gilt bronze with ivory, semiprecious stones, crystal, and glass; c. 19th century; Nepal, Kathmandu ValleyBodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, sandstone, Angkor period, 12th/13th century, CambodiaFudō Myō-ō, wood with polychromy and gilt-bronze accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], JapanGroom, earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, ChinaDemon Mask (Tsuina-men), wood with traces of color, 15th/16th century [probably Muromachi period], JapanEntertainer (Tomb Figure), buff earthenware with pigment, Northern Dynasties, 6th century, ChinaLakshmana, from Panel with Lakshmana and Hanuman, the Monkey God, terracotta, Gupta period, 4th/5th century; India, Uttar PradeshStanding Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, ChinaSōgyō Hachiman, wood with traces of white pigment, Heian period, 10th century, JapanSeitaka Dōji, wood with traces of polychromy, 15th century [Muromachi period], JapanSnake Goddess Manasa, basalt, 11th century, Bangladesh or Eastern IndiaZenzai Dōji, wood with glass and polychromy and metal accessories, 12th/14th century [probably Kamakura period], JapanTwenty-Armed Dancing God Ganesha, Remover of Obstacles, buff sandstone, 11th century, India (Madhya Pradesh)Standing Attendant (Tomb Figurine), wood with traces of polychrome pigments, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 4th/3rd century BCE, ChinaBodhisattva, limestone with traces of polychromy, Tang dynasty, 8th century, ChinaArmored Guardian King (Tianwang), earthenware with three-color (sancai) lead glazes and traces of pigments, Tang dynasty, first half of the 8th century, ChinaWeight in the form of nested birds, gilt bronze, Tang dynasty (618-907), China
Alexander Liberman’s The Way at Laumeier Sculpture ParkJudith Shea, Public Goddess, 1992 and Terry Allen, Laumeier U-ME-UM, 1998Niki de Saint Phalle, Ricardo Cat, 1999Manuel Neri, Aurelia Roma, 1994 (white marble wrapped for the weather) and Tony Tasset, Eye, 2007Aurelia Roma and Yo_Cy (Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy), Loom Portal, 2011Jenny Holzer, one of Ten Plaques from the Living Series, 1980–82Yo_Cy (Christine Yogiaman and Ken Tracy), Loom Portal (detail of exterior section), 2011Tony Tasset, Eye, 2007Mark di Suvero, Bornibus, 1985–87Mark di Suvero, Destino, 2003Charles Ginnever, Crete, 1976-78Alexander Liberman, The Way, 1972–80, eighteen salvaged steel oil tanksVito Acconci, Face of the Earth #3, 1988 (under renovation)Robert Lobe, The Palm at the End of the Parking Lot, 1995Donald Judd, Untitled, 1984Donald Lipski, Ball? Ball! Wall? Wall!, 1994Mark Menin, Cores for Laumeier, 2003George Greenamyer, Heritage Schooner for Debra Lakin, September 30, 1998
The related article on the relationship between Surrealism and the Naturhistorisches Museum, “The Art of Displaying Life and Death,” was published in the Spring 2010 edition of Anamesa.
All images under copyright of the author. No reproduction without permission (please).
