Met Cloisters

Designed to remind visitors of medieval spaces, the Cloisters' architecture incorporates original elements of medieval European monasteries, churches, and castles. Started with George Grey Barnard's art collection, the Met Cloisters was financed in the 1930's by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. , an avid art collector and philanthropist. Situated in Fort Tryon Park in Washington Heights, the Met Cloisters offers a unique way to view and appreciate Medieval life. Here, the art is displayed in a series of cloisters, chapels, and living quarters, transporting you to another world. In this two hour, we will travel through time visiting indoor and outdoor exhibits, to discover paintings, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, along with a unique collection of plants, herbs, flowers, trees, and rare medieval species. As an artist, I will put the art collection in the context of medieval time and aesthetics. I will share my knowledge of the collection in its unique setting, for a glimpse of medieval life and culture.

We will start the tour at the Romanesque Hall, where we will see the figures of the Merovingian kings Clovis and Clothar, kings of the Franks from the 6th century. The tour will follow a loose chronology of the medieval period and you will visit: - The Saint-Guilhem Cloister, built from 9th century fragments of an abbey (an indoor space) - The Langon Chapel from the 12th century - The Cuxa Cloister reconstructed from 12th century pieces of a Catalan monastery - The Gothic Chapel, which contains six funeral effigies - The Bonnefont and Trie Cloisters with their unique medieval garden collections - The treasury with illuminated manuscripts and medieval playing cards! - The Merode Room with the famed Annunciation Triptych - The late Gothic Hall, which contains 15th century and early 16th century paintings and sculpture - The Nine Heroes (14th century) and Unicorn tapestries (late middle ages) At the end of the tour, I encourage you to continue exploring the museum on your own after a well deserved lunch break.