A fresh and unconventional approach to exploring 6,000 years of art history through 800 masterpieces from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Featuring more than 800 artworks from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, this groundbreaking book — organized by thematic keywords — draws upon The Met's online Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History — offering fresh, unconventional ways of engaging with visual culture.

Discover how artists see the world and inspire each other with common themes and sensibilities, materials and techniques. Flowers, for example, have been seen in art for millennia — from Tutankhamun to the Dutch Golden Age, from Van Gogh's still lifes to Georgia O'Keeffe's monumental close-ups. Seen side by side, Art = reveals new connections between artists of different times and places, offering a fresh perspective on beloved works.

Beyond the wealth of 1,000 illustrations arranged by theme, dive deeper into art history with 160 engaging and enlightening essays written by experts at the museum, to create your own personal tour through this unsurpassed collection.

A foldout, detachable timeline offering further perspective is also included.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the most important cultural institutions in the world and hosts more than six million visitors each year, with many millions more accessing its collection online. The museum's director Max Hollein contributes the foreword to Art =, while essays are written by the museum's curatorial staff and other art experts.