Once up on a time, museums primarily served the community in which they were located, but with the development of the internet and cultural licensing, the reach of great museums now spans the globe.
For that reason, the world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is extending access to its collection of art and cultural artifacts into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with the help of its licensing agency Beanstalk.
“We are truly honored to be expand our partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art to serve as its licensing agency beyond the U.S. and Japan,” said Allison Ames, President and CEO of Beanstalk. “The Met is a beloved global iconic institution, and we look forward to extending its cultural assets to consumers in the U.K., Europe, Middle East and Africa. In the spirit of The Met’s mission to bring life to art, art to lives, we will engage like-minded partners whose products will inspire consumers at new touchpoints through this beautiful and elevated licensing program.”
Beanstalk was appointed as The Met’s licensing agency for the U.S. and Japan in July last year, and will now serve as The Met’s exclusive licensing agency for the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The approach for the Met’s licensing program in the additional territories will reflect the successful North American strategy of inviting consumers to experience the brand through premium products. Beautifully designed brand extensions will include categories such as fashion apparel and accessories, home furnishings and decor, as well as stationery and gifting.
“When we set out to partner with an agency, we looked for people who were passionate about The Met’s mission and have the vision, creativity and the expertise to develop and manage a strategically crafted licensing program that expands and extends many of the emotions and experiences visitors have at any one of The Met’s physical locations,” said Lisa Silverman Meyers, Head of Licensing & Partnerships at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. “We have been working closely with Beanstalk in the U.S. and Japan and want to continue the momentum built to expand into EMEA with them.”
The Met was founded 150 years ago with a mission to bring art and art education to the American people. Today it is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, and one of the few global and encyclopedic cultural institutions in the world that allow audiences to travel through both geographies and time.
The Met collection comprises more than 1.5 million works of art spanning over 5,000 years of art and culture from around the globe, displayed at its two beautifully designed sites – The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters – and online at metmuseum.org. The Met’s unrivaled collection tells the story of humanity’s collective heritage and serves as a foundation of continuous learning, exploration, and enlightenment.