Watch a video on the universal language of sorrow in artworks from across the collection.

An excited wave of a hand 👋, a resigned face palm 🤦‍♀️, or a smile of contentment 🤗 are all gestures and movements that one might find in a text thread or in an object from our collection. The figurative representations of people, deities, and other beings that span thousands of years are teeming with bodily signals that communicate emotions and opinions. This is a practice not unlike the emojis we use in place of text, an act that is itself tied to the compelling and enduring urge to use images to convey what words cannot.

Emojis

Gestures, Signals, & Movements

Art Links