{"id":24271,"date":"2024-08-05T18:26:21","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T18:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/?p=24271"},"modified":"2024-09-16T23:09:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T23:09:20","slug":"everything-to-see-and-do-at-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exp1.com\/blog\/everything-to-see-and-do-at-the-metropolitan-museum-of-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything To See and Do at the Metropolitan Museum of Art"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It\u2019s hard to describe the size and scope of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but here\u2019s a try: 2 million square feet and 300,000 years<\/a>. Since its founding in 1870, the Met has expanded to occupy a huge museum space on Fifth Avenue in New York City. That space presents millennia of humanity\u2019s contributions to art, cementing its legacy as one of the great museums of the world, on equal footing with the Louvre<\/a> in Paris or the British Museum in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be tempting to save indoor activities for a rainy day. After all, there\u2019s so much to see and do in the parks and on the sidewalks of New York City. But resigning an institution like the Met to nothing more than an inclement weather plan should be a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the weather, it definitely deserves a spot on your bucket list. Read on to discover how the Metropolitan Museum of Art evolved from one Roman sarcophagus to more than 2 million priceless artifacts that track our entire history as a civilization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of the Met<\/h2>\n\n\n
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art was the idea of prominent lawyer John Jay. Together with a group of friends, he incorporated the Met in 1870 at its first location on Fifth Avenue and 54th Street. They acquired the Met\u2019s first piece<\/a> later that year \u2014 a marble Roman sarcophagus found at Tarsus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Met briefly moved to the Douglas Mansion downtown and finally settled in its current location on Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street in 1880. The Met that you now see from the street (and on \u201cGossip Girl\u201d) consists of multiple expansions around the original structure, which is still contained and visible from inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The museum\u2019s early years established it as a home for the world\u2019s antiquities, especially Greek and Roman art. An 1889 acquisition of two works by Edouard Manet helped to build its contemporary art credibility, and by the early 1900s, the Met was already recognized as one of the great art galleries of the world, with notable works ranging from Renoir and Matisse to ancient Egyptian sculptures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to see at the Met<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Like some other museums in New York City, including the Museum of Modern Art<\/a>, the Met has two locations that fascinate visitors with permanent collections and rotating exhibits. Here are some pointers to get you headed in the right direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The permanent collection<\/h3>\n\n\n
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\nTo explore the Met collection, my first piece of advice is to get a map. Remember, it\u2019s more than 2 million square feet. When you walk in the front door, you\u2019re presented with three options: left, right, or straight. There\u2019s no wrong choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn left to wander through the Greek and Roman wing, which displays sculptures and ruins dating back to 4500 B.C. Pieces range from tiny engraved rings to life-sized marble statues, and even a column preserved from the temple of Artemis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turn right from the front door to stroll through the Egyptian wing, which collects more than 26,000 pieces that date back to the Paleolithc period. One of the most popular features of the entire museum is the Temple of Dendur, which you may recognize from the movie \u201cOceans 8.\u201d Gifted to the United States by the Egyptian government, the Temple of Dendur was built by the Roman emperor Augustus around 15 B.C. to glorify the goddess Isis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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Metropolitan Museum of Art Skip-the-Line Tour<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tLearn More\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

Proceed straight from the Great Hall entrance to experience the American Wing, which gathers more than 20,000 pieces from African American, Euro American, Native American, and Latin American male and female artists, dating back to the colonial period of the Americas. Highlights include an expansive collection of paintings from the Hudson River School and an entire living room preserved and reassembled from a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Minnesota (my personal favorite piece in the whole museum).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rotating exhibitions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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