Videos

Representation Synchrome & Synchromism: Sonia Delaunay, Blaise Cendrars & Morgan Russell in 1913 Paris

Gail Levin's illustrated talk will draw extensively upon her interviews in the 1970s with Sonia Delaunay. She will illuminate the relationship of art by the Ukrainian-born French artist and works by the Swiss poet Cendrars to the American Synchromist painter Morgan Russell (1886–1953), contextualizing Cendrars's inscription to Russell on the copy of the 1913 book La prose du Transsibérien et de la petite Jehanne de France, featured in the Morgan’s exhibition Blaise Cendrars (1887–1961): Poetry Is Everything.

Ferdinand Hodler and Mark Rothko: A Passion for the Italian Renaissance

Niklaus Güdel, Director of the Ferdinand Hodler Institute, Geneva, proposes a comparison between Ferdinand Hodler and Mark Rothko based on their common interest in the Italian Renaissance. Held Thursday, September 14, 2023.

Claude Gillot and the Paris Art World ca. 1690–1720

At the first international symposium devoted to the artist, scholars explore Gillot’s work and career in the context of the Paris art world, uncovering his professional network and assessing his contribution to changing tastes and his impact on the next generation of artists. Held Wednesday, May 10, 2023.

Gallery One: Where and How the World Met the Art of Bridget Riley

Thomas Crow, Rosalie Solow Professor of Modern Art, NYU/Institute of Fine Arts, explores how Bridget Riley found the catalyst for her signature mode of art--along with its first, electrifying exposure--in a highly idiosyncratic venue. Held Thursday, June 29, 2023.

Becoming Morgan: J. Pierpont Morgan's Early Collecting

Dr. Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library & Museum, traces the development of J. Pierpont Morgan as a collector of rare books and manuscripts. Held Tuesday, July 11, 2023.

Light and Flow: Liliane Lijn's Crossing Map

In this lecture, Jennifer Mundy, Thaw Senior Fellow and former Head of Art Historical Research, Tate, London, will explore what this book and its drawings reveal about Lijn’s development as an artist at a critical point in her career, and why she described Crossing Map as her ‘credo as a woman’. Held Friday, June 9, 2023.

Symposium: Piranesi Drawings: New Perspectives

The symposium is devoted to the drawings of the artist Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) and takes place in conjunction with the exhibition Sublime Ideas: Drawings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi on view at the Morgan from March 10 through June 4, 2023 and is presented by the Morgan Drawing Institute. Held Friday, June 2, 2023.

"Variety Show" with Nina Katchadourian and Friends

In conjunction with the exhibition Uncommon Denominator: Nina Katchadourian at the Morgan, artists, writers, and musicians will respond to works in the exhibition through short performances. Held Sunday, February 26, 2023.

"An Inventive and Creating Genius:" Drawings by Giovanni Battista Piranesi

Examining drawings from across Piranesi's career, John Marciari, Charles W. Engelhard Curator, will explore the distinctive aspects of Piranesi's graphic style and the use and reuse of drawings in his busy workshop.

Artist Talk: A Conversation with George Condo

In conjunction with the exhibition Entrance to the Mind: Drawings by George Condo in the Morgan Library & Museum, artist George Condo discusses the role of drawing in his practice and his interest in the art of the past with Isabelle Dervaux, Acquavella Curator and Head of Department, Modern & Contemporary Drawings. Held Thursday, February 23, 2023.

Making The Little Prince

Philip Palmer, the Robert H. Taylor Curator and Department Head of Literary and Historical Manuscripts, takes an in-depth look at the draft manuscript and original artwork for Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.

Held Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Lecture: She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia ca. 3400-2000 BC

Sidney Babcock, the Jeannette and Jonathan Rosen Curator and Department Head of the Department of Ancient Western Asian Seals and Tablets and curator of She Who Wrote: Enheduanna and Women of Mesopotamia ca. 3400-2000 B.C., provides an overview of the exhibition’s themes and highlights several key objects.

LGBTQ+ Night

In celebration of Pride, the Morgan presents two lectures on queer artists Rick Barton and Ray Johnson. Held Friday, June 24, 2022.

Capturing Holbein: The Artist in Context

This symposium will feature presentations from an international group of experts, focusing on Holbein’s varied contributions to the development of sixteenth-century art. Held Friday, May 6, 2022.

Holbein and Thomas More: An Intimate Portrait

Hans Holbein the Younger’s portrait of Sir Thomas More, painted in 1527, is one of the pinnacles of the artist’s career. Xavier F. Salomon, Deputy Director and Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator, The Frick Collection, explores the friendship between artist and sitter. Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Holbein: Capturing Character. Held Thursday, March 17, 2022.

Illuminated Hebrew Manuscripts: From Ashkenaz to America

In conjunction with Imperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire, 800–1500, Sharon Liberman Mintz, Curator of Jewish Art at The Library of The Jewish Theological Seminary, and Adam S. Cohen, Associate Professor of Art History at the University of Toronto, will consider the production, use, decoration, and meaning of Hebrew illuminated books made in Central Europe between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries

The Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett: 300 Years of Keeping in the Present

Celebrate the opening of the exhibition Van Eyck to Mondrian: 300 Years of Collecting in Dresden with Stephanie Buck, Director of the Dresden Kupferstich-Kabinett, who explores the history of the Dresden collection and share insights into a number of exceptional drawings on view in the exhibition.

Held Friday, October 22, 2021.

The City as Signifier: Nuremberg in the Nuremberg Chronicle

Join Jeffrey F. Hamburger, exhibition co-curator and the Kuno Francke Professor of German Art & Literature in the Department of the History of Art & Architecture at Harvard University, for a lecture to celebrate the opening ofImperial Splendor: The Art of the Book in the Holy Roman Empire, ca. 800–1500.

Identity, Literature, and Art

In conjunction with the exhibition, Sikander: Extraordinary Realities,join the MacArthur Fellow and artist Shahzia Sikander in a virtual conversation with Roya Hakakian, poet and author of Beginners Guide to America: For the Immigrant and the Curious,moderated by Vishakha N. Desai, Senior Advisor for Global Affairs to the President of Columbia University.

Julie Mehretu and Shahzia Sikander In Conversation, Moderated by Gayatri Gopinath

Acclaimed artist Julie Mehretu joins Shahzia Sikander to discuss Shahzia Sikander: Extraordinary Realities, an investigation into the first fifteen years of Sikander's career, and Julie Mehretu, a mid-career survey on view at the Whitney Museum of American Art. This conversation is moderated by Gayatri Gopinath, Professor, Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, and Director, Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, New York University.

The Women Who Made the Morgan

Through the stories of Belle da Costa Greene (1879–1950), private librarian of J. Pierpont Morgan and first director of the Morgan; Felice Stampfle (1913–2000), first curator of the collection of Drawings and Prints; and Edith Porada (1912–1994), honorary curator of Ancient Mesopotamian Seals and Tablets, we will explore the lasting mark that women have made at the Morgan through their leadership, scholarship, and acquisitions.

David Hockney: Drawing from Life

Join Isabelle Dervaux, Acquavella Curator of Modern & Contemporary Drawings, for a virtual guided tour of the exhibition David Hockney: Drawing from Life. David Hockney (b. 1937) is one of the most internationally respected and renowned artists alive today.  Held Friday, November 13, 2020.

The Classical and the Contemporary: Conversation with Jim Dine

 In conjunction with the exhibition Conversations in Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art from the Gray Collection, join us for a virtual conversation with Jim Dine, whose own work is featured in the show, discussing his drawing practice in relation to the history of Western art as represented in the exhibition by artists such as Veronese, Rubens, Ingres, Picasso, and Matisse. Held Wednesday, March 10, 2021.

Tracking Down Our Roots: A Conversation with Ishmael Reed

Join novelist, poet, and MacArthur Fellowship recipient Ishmael Reed for a conversation on the empowering role of art as a vehicle for reclaiming elements of African spirituality and culture.

No Soft Nonsense: Presenting the Bold Anne Brontë

Join Christine Nelson, Drue Heinz Curator of Literary and Historical Manuscripts, for a fresh look at Anne Brontë (1820–1849), bold author and truth-teller, through the artifacts she left behind. Held Monday, November 23, 2020.

European Blockbooks: Print-on-Demand in the 15th Century

Based upon the collections of the Morgan Library & Museum, John T. McQuillen, Associate Curator of Printed Books & Bindings will present an introduction to the European blockbook, its history and production, and delve into the provenance of several of the copies in the Morgan's collection. Held  Wednesday, October 14, 2020.

The Research Library Today: A Conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden and Dr. Colin B. Bailey

Join Dr. Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, and Dr. Colin B. Bailey, Director of the Morgan Library & Museum, for a discussion about the genesis of their institutions' collections and current missions, the challenges of physical custodianship in a digital age, and the roles played by the different directors of each institution, notably the Morgan's inaugural director, the African-American librarian and scholar, Belle da Costa Greene.

Poetry and Patronage: The Laubespine-Villeroy Library Rediscovered

Join guest curator Isabelle de Conihout and John Bidwell, Astor Curator of Printed Books and Bindings, for a virtual guided tour of the exhibition Poetry and Patronage: The Laubespine-Villeroy Library Rediscovered featuring luxury bindings commissioned by the French courtier Claude III de Laubespine (1545–1570).

Reflecting on Rembrandt

A virtual symposium reflecting on the exhibitions and research of the 2019 Rembrandt anniversary year. Co-sponsored by The Leiden Collection and the Drawing Institute of the Morgan Library & Museum. Held Friday, October 30, 2020.

Where in the World is Jean-Jacques Lequeu?

In this lecture Meredith Martin, Associate Professor at New York University, will explore various ways that Lequeu’s corpus has been interpreted and has proven to be fruitful for scholars and architects over the past two centuries. Held Wednesday, September 2, 2020.