Met Museum's 'The Face of Modern Life' Explores Expanded Notions of Portraiture
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents 'The Face of Modern Life,' an exhibition featuring nearly 80 works from its permanent collection that challenge traditional definitions of portraiture. The show includes pieces by Pablo Picasso, Wifredo Lam, Max Beckmann, and Joan Miró, among others. Beckmann's triptych 'The Beginning' and Lam's 'Ídolo' are highlighted as examples rooted in memory and myth rather than physical likeness. The exhibition also features cubist abstractions, an ornate hand mirror, and Miró's 'painting-poetry.' The show runs from June 3, 2026, at the Met in New York.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'The Face of Modern Life' at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Features nearly 80 works from the museum's permanent collection
- Includes artists Pablo Picasso, Wifredo Lam, Max Beckmann, and Joan Miró
- Beckmann's 'The Beginning' is a triptych based on his childhood
- Lam's 'Ídolo' is inspired by the goddess Oyá
- Exhibition challenges traditional definitions of portraiture
- Includes cubist abstractions, a hand mirror, and Miró's 'painting-poetry'
- Opened June 3, 2026
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
Locations
- New York
- United States