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Metropolitan Museum of Art
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One of the world’s great art museums, the Metropolitan is a veritable collection of museums, spanning 5,000 years of culture from every part of the globe. Each of its specialized galleries holds an abundance of treasures. It was founded in 1870 by a group who wanted to create a great art institution in America, and began with three private European collections and 174 paintings. The present holdings number over two million. The original 1880 Gothic Revival building by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould has been expanded many times. Recent additions include courts with huge windows overlooking Central Park.
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1. European Painting
The museum’s 2,500 Old Master and 19th-century European paintings form one of the greatest collections in the world and include many instantly recognizable masterpieces. Special strengths include the Rembrandts and Vermeers, and the many Impressionist and Post-Impressionist canvases.
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2. Egyptian Art
The largest collection of Egyptian art outside Cairo includes masks, mummies, statues, jewelry, the Tomb of Perneb, and the spectacular Temple of Dendur, c.15B.C., re-assembled as it appeared on the banks of the Nile.
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3. Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
Masks, wooden sculpture, gold and silver ornaments, Pre-Columbian gold, ceramics and stone from Mexico and Peru, and works of art from the Court of Benin in Nigeria are highlights among 1,600 objects of primitive art covering 3,000 years, and three continents.
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4. American Wing
Several floors display Tiffany glass, paintings, and period rooms spanning the 17th to 20th centuries, including one by Frank Lloyd Wright.
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5. Robert Lehman Collection
This extraordinary private collection, includes Renaissance masters, Dutch, Spanish and French artists, Post-Impressionists and Fauvists, plus ceramics and furniture.
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6. Costume Institute
Women’s fashions from ballgowns to mini-skirts, and menswear from the French courts to the present day; annual shows draw the crowds.
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7. Asian Art
The most comprehensive collection in the West features paintings, sculpture, ceramics, and textiles.
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8. Lila Wallace Wing
The Metropolitan has a growing display of art from 1900 to the present day, with works from Picasso to Jackson Pollock.
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9. European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
One of the museum’s largest collections reflects the development of art in Western Europe, and includes architectural settings, French and English period rooms, tapestries, and sculptures by Rodin and Degas.
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10. Roof Garden
From May to October the Iris and B. Cantor Roof Garden boasts outstanding annual displays of 20th-century sculpture. The garden also offers a fine opportunity to enjoy a drink with a peerless view of Central Park and the surrounding skyline.
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Tucked away in the Musical Instrument Department is the oldest piano in the world, made by the inventor of the instrument, Bartolomeo Cristofori - harpsichord builder to Duke Ferdinand di Medici from 1683 t0 his deat5h in 1732. It may look an unremarkable piece of furniture with its plain veneered case and simple black and white keys compared to some of the highly decorated harpsichords, some with painted tops by famous Flemish masters, but it's a unique instrument with a fasccinating history and well worth a look - and a listen since it has recently been restored to playable condition. The odd thing about this instrument is that it is a much altered piano having been extended in its keyboard compass and there has been some question about its authenticity. In particular, the wealthy donor who bought the piano and gave it to the museum picked it up in S-pain rather than in Italy as might have been expected. But in my capacity as piano historian I have tracked down some information that helps to explain its travels from Florence. It turns out that the Duke of Medici was very proud of Cristofiri's invention and anted to show off by giving exaqmples to his friends. We know he gave one to Frederick II of Prussia - it's now in the museum of Leipzig University. Well he also gave one to the King of Spain's daughter, the infanta, for her birthday and several harpsichord builders in Madrid made copies of it. It was at one time thought to be a copy, or even a fake, becaus3e when it was X-0rayed during an experimental restoration in the 1980s it was discovered that it had a 'false' caswe, an outer rim around the inner instrument. This at first led researchers and restorers to think it might have been a fake instrument built into an old outer case but on closer examination it became evident that this doulel-case structure was Cristofori's unique solution to 'floating' a light soundboard in a strong, strtain bearing case for supporting string tension. This system was never known aoutside his workshop and subsequent pianomakers in Europe have wresgled with and solved the conflicting needs of the vibrating soundboard and strong frame in many other ways, all less successful than Cristofori's innovative, and highly practical design solution. so if you visit the Met to see the old Cristofori you can se a piano as it was meant to be conceived. In a way, you coud say that the designers and builders of every subsequent piano, including our modern concert grands, got it all wrong.
about a year ago
If this is your first time at the MET my advise would be going on Friday or Saturday because it closes later those days (9:00 PM). Friday and Saturday are also the best days for those who want to visit The Cloisters and the MET (you don't have to pay again when you go to both museums the same day). Go to The Cloisters first (because it closes around 5PM) and then head for the MET.
about a year ago
If you have a tight schedule, the must see are the European Painting rooms (second floor), the Egyptian Collection and the New Greek and Roman Galleries (visit Met.org for detailed information).
about a year ago
I would recommend checking the MET website to plan your visits in advance. You can find the museum's detailed floor plans in PDF which are also available at the information desk in several languages. The DK Eyewitness New York guide has several pages about the MET featuring its highlights and floor plans. I found it very useful in my first visit to the MET.
about a year ago
The best souvenir you can buy is by far the Museum Guide. It's available in English, French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. You can buy it at the beginning of you visit in the Gift Shop on the first floor so you can check it while you go around. It's organized by collection and includes a small section for The Cloisters.
about a year ago
If you want a great view of the Temple of Dendur wait until 15 or 10 minutes before the closing time. The usually crowded space will be almost empty and the temple will be beautifully illuminated. You will be able to take some great photos but remember FLASH IS NOT ALLOWED.
about a year ago
The suggested admission as for June 2008 is $20.00 but that includes all the special exhibitions. The MET is also included in the City Pass (go to citypass.com for details).
about a year ago
The first thing you must have in mind is that you WON'T be able to see it all even if you spend the entire day at the museum. I have been there 5 times and I haven't seen half of the collections!
about a year ago
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