Customer Reviews

Merchants and Masterpieces: The Story of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The history of our country's greatest art museum sounds dull and pedantic. Mr. Tomkins's history is anything but dull. There are revealtory altercations between curators and trustees, monumental egoes of wealthy donors that still need to be assuaged, and enough descriptions of disfunctional interpersonal relationships that read like the "true confessions" of gossip magazines. And yet there is a wealth of facts and figures to keep the most demanding of readers satisfied.

This museum means a lot to me. I learned art history just by being exposed to the best of the best. My mother took me many times when I was a little boy, from 1947 to 1955. Thereafter, I would go on my own. I've seen a lot of changes to the "Met" over the years, and this wonderful, easy-to-read book explains how it all happend. You will not be disppointed. It's entertaining and informative at the same time. Mr. Tomkins is a well-known writer this book is his masterpiece.

(written by Steven E. G. Melamed)