This slim volume examines the creation of the Met's then-new 19th century European paintings & sculpture galleries in the early 1990s. Using Beaux-Arts detailing, the museum created 21 interconnected rooms to house some of the most popular works from the 19th century.

The galleries in question are no longer new. In fact, they're in the process of being redone yet again. But in 1993, they were shiny and new and perhaps the talk of the museum world. ( )