The Metropolitan Museum of art, or just “Meth”, was founded in 1870.
More than two million works of art spanning thousands of years of human history, the Metropolitan Museum of art is one of the most prominent art museums in the world.
This is one of those new York attractions that are worth a visit during the trip. The origin of the Museum can be traced back to Paris, where in 1866, the diplomat and prominent lawyer John Jay suggested to a group of American businessmen to create a national Museum in America similar to the outstanding museums in Europe. Upon returning home, they established a Commission headed by William Cullen Bryant, who also initiated the Metropolitan Museum of art. The new Museum opened in 1870 in a temporary location on Fifth Avenue. The collection of railroad magnate John Taylor grew quickly and eventually it needed a new building to accommodate all the objects of art.
Just over a year after its opening, the Museum found it necessary to move to the Douglas Mansion on 14th street but soon outgrew that location and. The curators of the Museum acquired land on the East side of Central Park where the Museum is housed to this day.
The building of the Metropolitan Museum
The original building in Central Park was designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Ri Muldem in the Gothic revival style. Vaux also designed Central Park along with his partner Frederick law Olmsted.
Since then we have made many additions, including the most famous façade in the Beaux-arts who made the Museum recognizable in the world. The façade was designed by Richard Morris hunt and completed in 1926. Hunt also designed the entrance hall of the Museum. Today Meth (often referred to as the Museum) is approximately 400 metres in length and occupies nearly 200,000 square meters. Since opening the Museum has grown twenty-fold.
The collection of the Metropolitan Museum
Two million works of art in the Metropolitan Museum of art are divided into 22 curatorial Department, which occupies more than 250 rooms. Following is a review of some of the most interesting galleries Meta.
Greek and Roman antiquities
The collection of Greek and Roman art is one of the most popular in the Museum. Still shows the Roman sarcophagus of the third century from Asia Minor — the very first exhibit, which metro received in 1870. Do not miss the frescoes of the Villa Boscoreale, buried by lava flows during the eruption of Vesuvius in 79. Another outstanding exhibit is a Kouros, the oldest Greek statue in the Museum, created in 700 BC.
Egyptian antiquities
Many Antiques can be found in the Egyptian art galleries. Especially interesting is the temple of Dendur, built around 15 BC the Roman Emperor Augustus in honor of the Egyptian God Osiris. The temple was dismantled due to the construction of the Aswan dam and donated to the United States. In 1978 it was restored at the Metropolitan Museum stone by stone. Also attracts the attention of a reconstruction of the Tomb Perneb times the twenty-fifth century BC.
European Art
A significant part of the first floor is dedicated to European art galleries, European sculptures, medieval paintings, decorative art objects and weapons and military equipment.
Especially popular with visitors hall Equestrian, showing horses and dressed in the armor of the knights. In the next room you can observe the magnificent weapons, including gem-encrusted swords. Collection of statues includes works of the Renaissance period as well as masterpieces from famous artists such as Bernini. The decorative art collection includes magnificent pieces of furniture, jewelry and tapestries. Even though most of the collection of medieval art the Metropolitan Museum of art demonstrated in the Cloisters (the Met office) in the main Museum there’s still something to see. Here you will find Gothic tapestries, stained glass, ivories, and the Cup that once had taken for the Holy Grail.
Even more European art is on the second floor of the Museum where You can admire European paintings and sculptures of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection of paintings includes masterpieces by famous European artists such as El Greco, Raphael, Rubens, van Eik, van Dyck, van der Weyden, Titian, Rembrandt and Vermeer, whose ‘Woman with a water pitcher’ is one of the main works of the Museum. Not surprisingly, the metro is included in the list of the most visited museums in the world.
American Art
American wing occupies three floors of the Museum. One of the must-see exhibits — a unique stained glass Louis Tiffany. Among other values, highlights the portrait of George Washington created by Gilbert Stuart. You will also see a lot of furniture, glassware and even a reconstruction of the historical rooms.
Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas
Local art from non-European cultures is shown in the wing on the ground floor. Here you will find a wide variety of items including beautiful wooden masks from the Kingdom of Benin and stone sculpture from Mexico. A large room is devoted to the Islands of the Pacific, where there is something to see.
Asian Art
Asian Art is represented on the second floor, with special galleries for Korean, Chinese and Japanese art. The collection contains artifacts from 2000 BC to the twentieth century and modernity. One of the highlights is the Chinese garden Astor in the style of the Ming Dynasty, recreated here by craftsmen from Suzhou. Presents a variety of ceramic and jade artifacts, as well as paintings and large Buddha statues.
Other galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of art covers Ancient near Eastern art, Cypriot art, costumes, musical instruments, drawings and prints, as well as contemporary art and photography. Noteworthy is the sculpture garden on the roof and an amazing collection of Robert Lehman, often described as one of the most extensive and impressive private art collections in the world. And here is a view from the observation deck on the roof of the Museum:
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