André Mertens Galleries have been refurbished and reordered during two-year closure

1. fanfare, gallery 680

The Fanfare installation in gallery 680, opened in July 2017 in the first completed phase

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has re-opened its André Mertens musical instrument galleries after a two-year closure for renovation.

The collection spans five galleries, numbered 680 to 684, and the renovation of the rooms coupled with a complete rethink of their curation, has been planned in three phases. Today marks the end of the second phase, with all but one of the galleries open to the public. The final phase is scheduled for completion in spring 2019.

In terms of string instruments, the new galleries will house instruments from the Met’s permanent collection, including violins by Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Amati, as well as loans such as the 1714 ‘Batta-Piatigorsky’ cello by Stradivari, made in 1714, which belongs to a private collection.

2. the art of music through time, gallery 684

Daniel H. Weiss, the museum’s president and CEO, said: ‘Nearly two years in the making, the reopening of our Musical Instruments galleries has resulted in a new, more insightful narrative for our visitors that draws on and reflects the unique strengths of the Museum’s musical instruments collection – one of the world’s most important and diverse collections presenting a comprehensive perspective on global music.’

Jayson Kerr Dobney, the Met’s curator in charge of musical instruments, commented: ‘Music is a universal art form, and it is our hope that the new presentation will encourage visitors to think about its presence in every aspect of the human experience.

‘We look forward to welcoming visitors into these renovated galleries.’