The Metropolitan Museum returns a relatively poor showing again this year with scaled-back offerings on Advent calendars, despite a dedicated catalog section for the same. The avian calendar is the most worthwhile; old customers will miss the New York-themed calendars.
The Art Institute of Chicago has an attractive, reusable calendar with 24 numbered doors behind which one can add small things.
The (US) National Gallery has a bland selection of ten calendars.
The (UK) National Gallery does a somewhat better job, especially in its provision of an Advent candle-calendar and the ongoing offering of the very wonderful altarpieces calendar.
Top prize for good calendars this year goes to the Fitzwilliam Museum at Cambridge, whose eight offerings cover themes religious, Japanese, and medieval.
The standout from Boston’s MFA is an Adoration of the Magi calendar based on a 1423 painting by Gentile da Fabriano.
Richard Mammana 