Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum)

Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum)
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Name	The Cloisters
Location	Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, New York City
Established	1938
Type	Museum of Medieval Art and Architecture
Collection	Medieval European art, architecture, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, stained glass
Visitors	approx. 250,000 annually
Parent	Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cloisters (Metropolitan Museum) is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Located in Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, the museum integrates architectural elements from medieval cloisters and monastic buildings with galleries housing illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, and textiles. The collection emphasizes works from the Romanesque, Gothic, and late medieval periods associated with institutions such as Benedictine Order, Cistercians, and the courtly cultures of Capetian dynasty France and Plantagenet England.

History

The Cloisters originated from the philanthropy of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and the collecting activities of the Metropolitan Museum of Art during the early 20th century. Acquisition efforts involved dealers and scholars connected to institutions like the Courtauld Institute of Art and collectors influenced by figures such as George Grey Barnard and Joseph Duveen. Construction and site selection in Fort Tryon Park were coordinated with landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and municipal authorities including the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum opened to the public in 1938 under the directorship of later curators associated with the Metropolitan Museum scholarship programs. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries the Cloisters has been shaped by exhibitions and loans involving institutions such as the British Museum, Musée de Cluny, Vatican Museums, National Gallery, London, and conservation partnerships with the Getty Conservation Institute.

Architecture and Layout

The building synthesizes architectural elements transplanted from medieval monastic sites, notably cloisters and chapter houses from regions including Catalonia, Provence, Normandy, and Flanders. Architects and curators referenced models from the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Monastery of Sant Cugat, and cloisters associated with Fontenay Abbey and Saint-Étienne, Caen. Galleries are organized around reconstructed cloisters—such as the celebrated unicorn tapestry gallery—evoking spatial relationships found in the Cistercian and Benedictine plans. Structural choices reflect scholarship by medievalists linked to universities like Columbia University, Yale University, University of Cambridge, and University of Paris (Sorbonne), and echo stylistic vocabularies seen in works by masters of Romanesque sculpture and Gothic architecture.

Collections and Notable Works

The Cloisters' holdings include illuminated manuscripts such as the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry-associated illuminations and Books of Hours comparable to manuscripts from Chartres Cathedral and Amiens Cathedral workshops. Sculpture and architectural fragments include material related to Gargoyles of Notre-Dame de Paris, capitals from Cluny Abbey, and portal sculpture reflective of artisans working for patrons like Eleanor of Aquitaine and Philip IV of France. The tapestry collection features the renowned series The Lady and the Unicorn-style works and medieval hangings comparable to pieces in the Musée de Cluny and Bargello. Metalwork and reliquaries connect to traditions exemplified by collections at the Vatican and Hildesheim Cathedral. The Cloisters also houses significant liturgical objects, ivory carvings akin to pieces in the Victoria and Albert Museum, and stained glass panels related in style to windows from Chartres Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle.

Conservation and Research

Conservation activities at the Cloisters are informed by methodologies developed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and collaborative projects with the Getty Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, and university conservation programs at UCL Institute of Archaeology and New York University. Research initiatives engage specialists in codicology and paleography drawing on comparative collections at the British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and Morgan Library & Museum. Scientific analysis includes techniques established at laboratories such as Canadian Conservation Institute and interdisciplinary scholarship connected to medievalists from Princeton University, Harvard University, and the University of Oxford.

Visitor Experience and Programs

Public programs at the Cloisters encompass guided tours, lectures, concerts, and educational initiatives developed with partners such as the New-York Historical Society, American Museum of Natural History, and academic departments at Columbia University School of the Arts. Seasonal events reference medieval liturgical calendars and music traditions related to figures like Guillaume de Machaut and Hildegard of Bingen, while family programs draw on hands-on activities informed by conservation pedagogy from the Metropolitan Museum's Department of Education. Accessibility projects coordinate with New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and cultural outreach with organizations like The New York Public Library.

Category:Medieval art museums Category:Metropolitan Museum of Art