The Met Receives Landmark Gift of More Than 500 of the Finest Guitars from the Golden Age of American Guitar Making

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
With this collection, the museumwill become an epicenter for the
celebration and study of this iconic instrument.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced that it has received a
landmark gift of more than 500 of the finest guitars from the
Golden Age of American guitar making, spanning the years 1920
to 1970. This new collection of the most

(00:23):
important guitars, anchored by amajor gift from collector
Dirksif. We'll showcase the profound
impact this celebrated instrument has had on popular
music, culture, society, politics and religion in America
and then resonated around the world.
The collection displays the diversity of the guitar in all

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its forms, including electric, acoustic, arch, top bass,
resonator and lap steel, as wellas related stringed instruments
and amplifiers. This is truly a trailblazing and
transformative gift, positioningthe museum to be the epicenter
for the appreciation and study of the American guitar, said Max

(01:05):
Holland, the Met S Marina KellenFrench Director and Chief
Executive Officer. We are immensely grateful to
Dirk and his long time advisor Pierre Margolov for their
extraordinary commitment to assembling this world class,
one-of-a-kind collection over the course of decades.
The guitar has been of singular importance to popular music of

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the past century and was used bymusicians across geographic,
racial and economic backgrounds.This Seminole American object of
our time has had a profound impact on global culture, art
and society. These guitars are examples of
outstanding artistry and craftsmanship, as well as

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visually powerful tools of expression and distinction.
This gift celebrates the innovators, inventors, and
manufacturers who created many different forms of the guitar to
meet the needs of individual musicians, while also telling
the stories of American Music through the 20th century.
The collection includes a wide range of iconic examples such as

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Leo Fender S 1st guitar made in 1948, a Gibson 1955J50 acoustic
guitar used by Delta Blues musician Mississippi John Hurt.
The 1941 Epiphone clunker, an experimental prototype modified
by Le Paul that was used in recordings and broadcasts by

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guitarist and vocalist Mary Fordand that is one of several
guitars from Le Paul S personal collection.
The 1959 sunburst Le Paul guitarused by Keith Richards during
the Rolling Stone's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan
Show in 1964, which ignited interest in this legendary
model. The Futuri guitar owned by Blues

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guitarist Ponte Gonzalez around 1956 that led the Gibson Company
to create the Futuristic Explorer model in 1958 and the
Martin OM45 guitar made by the CF Martin Guitar Company in 1930
that was the primary instrument of cowboy musician Roy Rogers.
Some of the guitars included in this gift were featured in the

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Met S widely popular and well received special exhibition Play
It Loud Instruments of Rock'n'roll, 2019.
The donors and the Met have agreed that these carefully
preserved instruments must remain alive and accessible.
Almost all continue to be in prime playable condition and
will be used frequently for special performances, recordings

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and educational programs, including study by contemporary
guitar builders. A number of the guitars will be
on temporary display in the current Musical Instruments
galleries prior to going on viewin the new gallery dedicated to
celebrating the American guitar,Mr. Ziff said.
Since embarking on this journey with Perry in 1987, our

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objective has been to assemble acomprehensive collection of
American guitars, many of them historic and culturally
significant, and preserve them for the benefit of future
generations. We always saw ourselves as
custodians, not owners. It is genuinely thrilling to see
our vision validated at the greatest cultural institution in

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the world. As someone who grew up in New
York City and has been going to the Met since childhood, I am
honored to help play a role in broadening the museum S reach
and impact by making these greatinstruments accessible to
legions of guitar lovers from all over the world.
The collection exemplifies the visual design history of the

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guitar in the 20th century and how the instrument S aesthetics
evolved from small parlor guitars with Victorian era
decoration to Art Deco inspired arch top guitars to the mid
century designs of the electric guitar informed by the major
influence of the automobile and the fascination with the
television age and space exploration, hence the legendary

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1950s Fender model names Telecaster and Stratocaster.
The collection is a celebration of industrial art, demonstrating
innovative engineering, outstanding craftsmanship and
timeless 20th century design aesthetics that in many cases
remain entirely unchanged since their introduction and are as

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modern and relevant today as when they were first conceived.
To this day, they remain the aspirational working instruments
of choice for the finest guitar players around the world.
Jason Kerdabni, Frederick Pierrot's curator in charge of
the Department of Musical Instruments at the Met, said
this is not just a once in lifetime gift, it is a once in a

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century opportunity for the Museum of Visionary,
comprehensive collection of American guitars.
Unparalleled in both its breadthand variety, the guitar was the
driving force of 20th century popular music.
It changed culture and it changed the world.
Now that Dirk and Piri have entrusted us with this amazing

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collection, we will work to create a unique and immersive
permanent experience for our visitors that showcases these
instruments and tells the powerful story of their
evolution. The Met S collection of musical
instruments, which demonstrates the technical and social
importance of instruments while also presenting them with their
visual and tonal beauty as art objects themselves, includes

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approximately 5000 examples from300 BC to the present,
representing 6 continents and the Pacific Islands.
The Department of Musical Instruments currently has an
outstanding collection of European guitars from the 17th
to the 19th century and includesA famed collection of classical
guitars. Statement from Jimmy Page When

(07:03):
it first came on the horizon that the Metropolitan Museum of
Art would have a feature exhibitcelebrating the instruments of
Rock'n'roll, I was more than happy to loan a number of my
most important guitars, amplifiers, effects, and even
costumes. I was particularly excited to
display my Telecaster, which I had hand painted myself as a

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student in art college. I never would have imagined that
one of my paintings would find its way into one of the most
prestigious art museums in the world.
My hope was that by loaning my instruments, others would join
in the celebration and lend their instruments as well.
As it turned out, everyone was inspired and loaned an

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incredible array of musical instruments for this exhibition
which would become known as PlayIt Loud Instruments of
Rock'n'roll. The exhibit exceeded everyone as
expectations in terms of attendance as people travelled
from around the world to enjoy this unique experience.
This was a true win win situation for everybody,

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including the guitars in general.
As a result of this incredible exhibition, I have now been made
aware that the Met is building apermanent gallery to celebrate
the American guitar. To know that there is so much
passion behind this project is thrilling.
I would like to take my hat off to the people who have been
behind this and to the Met for its dedication to construct

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something that is going to be ofsuch great importance for
generations to come. An inspirational arena for
people old and young alike. I am most curious to see how the
young people are going to expandthe guitar in the future.
This gallery will truly be an epicenter and inspiration for
the celebration of the guitar.