Backstage at the Met

On my last trip to NYC, I scheduled a full day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; well, a full day interpsersed with lunch at the lovely Cafe Sabarsky (at the Neue Galerie), and walks in the park.  Besides seeing some favorite paintings and the Egyptian temple, we visited the arms and armor section to see the Negroli Helmet, which was quite stunning.  This on the recommendation of PS, who had been reading Danny Danziger’s book about the museum, entitled simply Museum, in which he interviews a wide selection of people employed by or connected with the museum, including the security guards, the Director himself, Board members, the cleaning crew, etc., giving a broad and fascinating portrait of a great institution.  Especially great was hearing from the curators about their personal favorites, the one thing they would save if the building caught on fire.  The point is, I never would have gone into arms and armor without some reference point, some item to hone in on. After reading Danziger’s book, I have a new list of such items and am looking forward to my next visit.

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