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Arts Intel Report

Musical Bodies

June 7 – Sept 27, 2026
1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, USA

The human body is a musical instrument that produces sound in many ways. Musical instruments, perhaps surprisingly, take their form and decoration from the body in return. That reciprocal relationship is the subject of the Met’s exhibition “Musical Bodies,” which brings together 130 instruments, paintings, sculptures, and drawings spanning 4,000 years to trace how music and the body have shaped each other. Ancient Egyptian rattles sit alongside works by Titian and Degas, instrument-inspired apparel, and one of Prince’s guitars. —Elena Clavarino