The Metropolitan Opera to Display Original Works of Contemporary Art

Wednesday, 06 September 2006 07:05

New York City - The Metropolitan Opera will open “The Arnold and Marie Schwartz Gallery Met,” a new contemporary visual art venue in the south side of the opera house lobby, on Friday, September 22.

The inaugural exhibition, “Heroines,” includes work by some of the art world’s most innovative and provocative figures, inspired by the heroines of the Met’s new productions of the 2006-07 season.  The exhibition runs through the end of the opera season in May 2007.

Free and open to the public, the exhibition has been curated by Dodie Kazanjian, the Met’s curator at large for contemporary art.  The exhibition space has been designed by Lindy Roy of Roy Co.

Six artists have already produced works for the exhibition: Cecily Brown (Suor Angelica in Il Trittico), John Currin (Helena in Die Ägyptische Helena), Barnaby Furnas (Euridice in Orfeo ed Euridice), Makiko Kudo (Princess Yueyang in The First Emperor), Richard Prince (Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly), and Sophie von Hellermann (Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia). In addition, works by artists George Condo, Verne Dawson, Wangechi Mutu, and David Salle will be featured.