The Museum
When we start talking about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY, we can’t help but throw around superlatives.
The famous art museum in the heart of Manhattan attracts well over six million visitors each year, earning the “Met” a solid place in the top 10 of the world’s most visited museums. And that’s not without reason: the entire collection of works that the Metropolitan Museum of Art has either archived or on display extends to over three million individual pieces.
The museum first opened to curious visitors on February 20, 1872, just two years after its inception. The entire museum complex extends over an impressive exhibition area of over 130,000 m². The “Met” is not only America’s largest museum in terms of area, but also houses the largest art collection in the country.
If you would like to visit the Met in New York yourself, you should bring one thing with you above all: plenty of time. The best way to enjoy the numerous exhibitions is without time pressure – because you can easily spend a whole day here.
Collections
European painting
Works of art of Italian, Dutch, German and other European origins from the 12th to the 19th centuries are exhibited here. A very extensive collection of artists such as Simone Matini, Hans Memling and Rogier van der Weyden.
Egyptian art
This legendary collection of Egyptian art and artifacts comprises 36,000 items, making it one of the finest collections outside of Cairo. Famous art such as the statue of Hatshepsut can be found here.
Art of Asia
The MET’s collection of Asian art covers a vast period of time from the 4th millennium B.C. BC to the early 20th century, and with its additional 35,000 objects is the largest art collection of Asian culture in the USA.
These are just a few examples of the enormous diversity that the Met has on offer. We didn’t even go into their collections of medieval, Greek and Roman art, that have found their permanent home at New York’s most famous museum.
