Morgan Shows Great Libraries Photographs
The Morgan Library & Museum Presents Month-Long Exhibition of Photographs by Massimo Listri of the Great Libraries of Europe
Show coincides with the reopening of the Morgan's original 1906 library and includes twenty-three large-format photographs of such magnificent rooms as Trinity College Library, Dublin
Great European Libraries: Photographs by Massimo Listri Opens December 10
New York, NY, November 22, 2010—In 1902, when Pierpont Morgan commissioned Charles Follen McKim to design a library to house his growing collection of books and manuscripts, the architect conceived an Italianate marble villa that paid homage to the High Renaissance. On the occasion of the most extensive restoration of the McKim building's sumptuous interiors in over one hundred years, The Morgan Library & Museum presents an exhibition of photographs by Massimo Listri documenting iconic European libraries that similarly use fine wood, marble, and other precious materials to create an opulent setting for books. Great European Libraries: Photographs by Massimo Listri is on view from December 10, 2010 through January 9, 2011. ????
The large-format photographs, almost five feet in width and four feet in height, dramatically capture the beauty of the libraries, which were built from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. They represent an array of private, public, ecclesiastical, and academic institutions. Among them are the Malatestiana Library in Cesena, Italy, which was completed in 1454 and survives in its original building with its collection and furnishings intact; the St. Gall Monastery Library in Switzerland, which is a fine example of the Rococo style; the magnificent Long Room of Trinity College Library at the University of Dublin, where the Book of Kells is kept; the Laurentian Library in Florence, which was designed by Michelangelo; and the Vatican Library's sumptuous quarters, which were constructed between 1585 and 1590.
??
Massimo Listri is a Florence-based photographer whose work often presents interiors of great architectural and cultural importance. He has photographed ancient castles, villas and palaces, as well as hidden gardens, libraries, convents, monasteries, and universities. His photographs have been exhibited in numerous public and private institutions, including Palazzo Reale, Milan, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, and Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato. Over his career he has produced fifty-eight books on art and architecture. Among the titles are Il fascino delle biblioteche (in which most of the photographs in this exhibition appear), Il fascino dei musei, Italian Parks and Gardens, Where Muses Dwell: Homes of Great Artists and Writers, and Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces.
This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Regione Toscana in collaboration with Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci-Prato. For more information, please visit www.centropecci.it.
The Morgan exhibition program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Morgan Library & Museum??The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan, one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. Today, more than a century after its founding in 1906, the Morgan serves as a museum, independent research library, musical venue, architectural landmark, and historic site. In October 2010, the Morgan completed the first-ever restoration of its original McKim building, Pierpont Morgan's private library, and the core of the institution. In tandem with the 2006 expansion project by architect Renzo Piano, the Morgan now provides visitors unprecedented access to its world-renowned collections of drawings, literary and historical manuscripts, musical scores, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, printed books, and ancient Near Eastern seals and tablets. ????
General Information??
The Morgan Library & Museum??
225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016-3405??212.685.0008??
www.themorgan.org????
Hours??Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; extended Friday hours, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The Morgan closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
PRESS CONTACTS
The Morgan Library & Museum
Patrick Milliman
212.590.0310
pmilliman@themorgan.org
Sandra Ho
212.590.0311
sho@themorgan.org
#
Show coincides with the reopening of the Morgan's original 1906 library and includes twenty-three large-format photographs of such magnificent rooms as Trinity College Library, Dublin
Great European Libraries: Photographs by Massimo Listri Opens December 10
New York, NY, November 22, 2010—In 1902, when Pierpont Morgan commissioned Charles Follen McKim to design a library to house his growing collection of books and manuscripts, the architect conceived an Italianate marble villa that paid homage to the High Renaissance. On the occasion of the most extensive restoration of the McKim building's sumptuous interiors in over one hundred years, The Morgan Library & Museum presents an exhibition of photographs by Massimo Listri documenting iconic European libraries that similarly use fine wood, marble, and other precious materials to create an opulent setting for books. Great European Libraries: Photographs by Massimo Listri is on view from December 10, 2010 through January 9, 2011. ????
The large-format photographs, almost five feet in width and four feet in height, dramatically capture the beauty of the libraries, which were built from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries. They represent an array of private, public, ecclesiastical, and academic institutions. Among them are the Malatestiana Library in Cesena, Italy, which was completed in 1454 and survives in its original building with its collection and furnishings intact; the St. Gall Monastery Library in Switzerland, which is a fine example of the Rococo style; the magnificent Long Room of Trinity College Library at the University of Dublin, where the Book of Kells is kept; the Laurentian Library in Florence, which was designed by Michelangelo; and the Vatican Library's sumptuous quarters, which were constructed between 1585 and 1590.
??
Massimo Listri is a Florence-based photographer whose work often presents interiors of great architectural and cultural importance. He has photographed ancient castles, villas and palaces, as well as hidden gardens, libraries, convents, monasteries, and universities. His photographs have been exhibited in numerous public and private institutions, including Palazzo Reale, Milan, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, and Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Prato. Over his career he has produced fifty-eight books on art and architecture. Among the titles are Il fascino delle biblioteche (in which most of the photographs in this exhibition appear), Il fascino dei musei, Italian Parks and Gardens, Where Muses Dwell: Homes of Great Artists and Writers, and Magnificent Italian Villas and Palaces.
This exhibition is made possible through the generosity of Regione Toscana in collaboration with Centro per l'arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci-Prato. For more information, please visit www.centropecci.it.
The Morgan exhibition program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Morgan Library & Museum??The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont Morgan, one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United States. Today, more than a century after its founding in 1906, the Morgan serves as a museum, independent research library, musical venue, architectural landmark, and historic site. In October 2010, the Morgan completed the first-ever restoration of its original McKim building, Pierpont Morgan's private library, and the core of the institution. In tandem with the 2006 expansion project by architect Renzo Piano, the Morgan now provides visitors unprecedented access to its world-renowned collections of drawings, literary and historical manuscripts, musical scores, medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, printed books, and ancient Near Eastern seals and tablets. ????
General Information??
The Morgan Library & Museum??
225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016-3405??212.685.0008??
www.themorgan.org????
Hours??Tuesday-Thursday, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; extended Friday hours, 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The Morgan closes at 4 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
PRESS CONTACTS
The Morgan Library & Museum
Patrick Milliman
212.590.0310
pmilliman@themorgan.org
Sandra Ho
212.590.0311
sho@themorgan.org
#
