Orientalism and New York

Tuesday, September 30, 2014
6 – 7PM

Barry Lewis, architectural historian

In the nineteenth century, Europeans and Americans saw the Middle East as a veritable Shangri-la where they could find refreshingly different cultural ideals. This was the beginning of “Orientalism,” a century-long infatuation with everything Middle Eastern. In terms of architecture, the new vogue provided Westerners in the field with a way of freeing themselves from rigid, established formulas. Middle East–inspired designs opened up cluttered interiors and created a new “metallic style” to better suit emerging iron and glass structures. Perusing the New York area, this talk uncovers a fine collection of buildings with roots in Oriental design.

Tickets to this event include Museum admission.

Photo courtesy of City Center New York

Organized by

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Contact

meteventtix@metmuseum.org