press release

Pablo Bronstein at the Met is a presentation of new work by the London-based artist, addressing the history and future of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Several large ink drawings by the artist suggest a mythical history of the Metropolitan Museum, imagining the building under construction. A series of computer drawings focus on hypothetical futures of the Museum. This is the artist's first solo exhibition in New York.

Through drawings, installations, performances, and books, Pablo Bronstein has investigated a variety of historical periods and tastes. His palette encompasses a myriad of styles: from the mannered baroque of Turin to the classical architecture of 18th-century France, from early 20th-century Modernism to Postmodernism in its various manifestations. Adopting the guise of the architect, architectural historian, and the user of buildings, Bronstein reveals what might be described as the veneer of architecture. In doing so he highlights the complicit power structures that are required to accomplish great works, in turn inviting viewers to consider the mechanisms that delineate private and public space.

For Spectrum's inaugural event, Research Associate Ian Alteveer joined Pablo Bronstein to discuss the work in the exhibition.

Pablo Bronstein at the Met is organized by Gary Tinterow, Engelhard Chairman of the Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern, and Contemporary Art. It is the sixth in the Metropolitan's series of solo exhibitions of young artists, which has featured Tony Oursler (2005), Kara Walker (2006), Neo Rauch (2007), Tara Donovan (2008), and Raqib Shaw (2008–2009).

Pablo Bronstein
at the Met

Kurator: Gary Tinterow