Fifty years ago, half a billion viewers around the world were glued to their television sets witnessing a ground breaking moment- Man&rsquos first step on the Moon. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11&rsquos moon landing, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is showcasing visual representations of the moon in an exhibition titled 'Apollo&rsquos muse The Moon in the age of Photography'.
The exhibition features over 170 photographs along with selected drawings, prints, paintings, video arts, astronomical instruments and cameras used by the Apollo 11 astronauts. This show is an amalgamation of science and arts, presenting how the moon has been photographed and shown by other visual arts over the centuries. It sheds light on the technological evolution of telescopes and cameras that have attempted to replicate the lunar surface.
"This exhibition shows us how photography introduced new dimensions to the documentation and interpretation of the moon landing and the tremendous impact that it had on the artists of the time - the lasting effects of which still resonate today." said Max Hollein, Director of The Met.
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue with essays by the curators and an introduction by Tom Hanks, an actor and a lifelong space enthusiast. Moon drawings by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei are also being displayed in the exhibition.
The Metropolitan Museum has always been synonymous with the extravagant Met Gala and this exhibition is nothing less than a spectacle.