Google Will Celebrate the Met’s 151st Anniversary With a Special ‘Doodle’ Highlighting Some of Its Most Beloved Artworks

The design comes courtesy of artist Erich Nagler.

People outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images.

Two of America’s biggest institutions are teaming up for one special day, as Google honors the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 151st anniversary with a custom “doodle” marking the occasion.

On Tuesday, April 13, Google’s main page will feature an array of images culled from the two million artworks that are part of the Met’s storied collection, 400,000 of which are digitized and available for free download.

The design comes courtesy of Google artist Erich Nagler, who was “inspired by the Met’s ability to connect people to art across time and place.”

The Google Doodle celebrating the Met’s 151st anniversary. Courtesy of Google/The Met.

Each letter of the image is an artwork, recreating some of the Met’s most beloved paintings, sculptures, and instruments, alongside lesser-known treasures.

In keeping with the encyclopedic trove, the works represent a variety of cultures. Included in the image are a 1941 self-portrait by the African American artist Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr.; one of the Met’s famed and beloved 16th-century Unicorn Tapestries; a 13th-century terracotta sculpture of a seated figure from the Inland Niger Delta region; and a beaded Lakota/Teton Sioux dress from the late 19th century.

The graphic will be viewable in over 20 countries, and is part of Google’s Arts & Culture program, which provides access to institutions’ collections to viewers around the world.

See some of the works that inspired the doodle below.

Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr., Self-Portrait (ca. 1941). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Samuel Joseph Brown, Jr., Self-Portrait (ca. 1941). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dress, (ca. 1870) Lakota/ Teton Sioux, Native American. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dress, (ca. 1870) Lakota/ Teton Sioux, Native American. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries) (1495-1505). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Unicorn Rests in a Garden (from the Unicorn Tapestries) (1495-1505). Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


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