The New York City Traveler

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City is housed in a beautiful Greek-Revival building in Central Park, along Fifth Avenue. “The Met” as it is called, attracts over five million visitors a year– more than any other attraction in New York City.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art first opened in 1872 and was located in a Midtown brownstone. The museum quickly outgrew its space and moved a few more times before acquiring its current space in Central Park.

The museum’s permanent collection consists of over two million works of art from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Far East. Though it is one of the largest museums in the world, the floor plan of the museum is organized by thematic galleries:

First floor galleries include:

• Greek & Roman Art
• Arts of Africa, Oceania, & the Americas
• European Sculpture & Decorative Arts, Medieval Art
• Egyptian Art (including Temple of Dendur)
• The American Wing
• Arms & Armour

Second floor galleries include:

• 19th Century European Paintings & Sculpture
• Ancient Near Eastern Art
• European Paintings
• Asian Art (including Korean, Chinese, South Asian, and Japanese Art)
• European Paintings

The museums single greatest attraction with visitors is the European Painting galleries. The Met’s European paintings include Raphael’s Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints and Rembrandt’s Portrait of a Man. Impressionist painting is well represented with works from Manet, Degas, Monet, and Cezanne, as is Post-Impressionist painting by Van Gogh.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a massive museum so it is best to choose what you would like to see and and focus on a few galleries. Or, you can take one of the many Museum Highlights tours offered at various times each day.

Location: 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street) (map) 212-535-7710

Getting There: 4,5,6 subway to 86th Street

Hours: Tue-Thur 9:30am-5:30pm; Fri-Sat 9:30am-9pm; Sun 9:30am-5:30pm; Closed Monday (except for select Met Mondays)

Cost: Suggested Donation Adult $20; Senior (65 and older) $15; Student $10; Members Free; Children (under 12 with adult) Free. Includes same-day admission to The Cloisters.

Check out tomorrow’s post on The Cloisters, home of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of medieval art.

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