The Long Island Museum is proud to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, Musical Masterworks:

John Monteleone's Guitars and Other Instruments on May 23, 2024. This major retrospective and

groundbreaking exhibition celebrates the life and work of one of America's most talented and renowned

makers of archtop guitars, John Monteleone.

From his 2,400-square-foot workshop in Islip, New York, John Monteleone has crafted one-of-a-kind

masterpieces of functional art, coveted by leading rock, jazz, and folk guitarists of the late-20th and early-21st

centuries: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Ben Harper, Julian Lage, and Anthony Wilson, to name just a few.

Monteleone also has lifelong connections to Long Island, growing up in Islip and maintaining his workshops

here, initially in Bay Shore, in 1976, before opening his current shop in Islip, in 1990.

Renowned for his perfectionism and his intense concern for materials, and for facilitating versatile

performance, Monteleone has made an extraordinary lifetime journey as a craftsman of his signature guitars,

mandolins, and other instruments. The master luthier has garnered international acclaim for his exquisite

craftsmanship and innovative designs. Musical Masterworks Is the largest-ever exhibition of John

Monteleone’s musical art assembled and offers visitors a rare opportunity to explore the extraordinary journey

of John Monteleone, beginning in the early 1970s as a repairer and maker of mandolins, to producing some

of the most sought-after guitars in the world. Featuring nearly 50 guitars, mandolins, and other instruments

crafted by Monteleone between 1971 and 2023, the exhibition showcases the stunning beauty and

unparalleled craftsmanship of his creations.

“It is always my great honor and pleasure to create the resonating sonic beauty of these instruments and to

hear them finally sing and speak to me,” says John Monteleone. “From the trees in the forest to pulsating

maple and spruces on my workbench, it is my way of giving process to unleashing the songs within the

wood.”

Highlights include the famed Four Seasons guitar quartet (2002-2006), on loan from the Metropolitan

Museum of Art; Monteleone’s groundbreaking Rocket Convertible guitar (1997); his beautifully ornamented

Radio Wave (2004); and many examples of special model guitars and mandolins: Eclipse, Radio City, Grand

Artist, the Train series, and more. Featuring guitars from private collections in Texas, Florida, Ohio, and

Vermont, the exhibition will also be displaying iconic and historic guitars from Gibson, John D'Angelico,

James D'Aquisto, and Selmer-Maccaferri.

“This exhibition showcases the artistry of an American original, a luthier with deep Long Island roots,” says

Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director and curator of this exhibition. “John is an innovator, an artist craftsman

with the needs of the guitarist and music listeners truly at heart, and our visitors are in for a treat to see all

these beautiful instruments up close and all together for the first time ever.”

Musical Masterworks: John Monteleone's Guitars and Other Instruments is on view in the History Museum at

the Long Island Museum from May 23 through October 13, 2024. Major support for this exhibition was

provided by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to immerse

yourself in the world of musical craftsmanship.

For more information, visit www.longislandmuseum.org.