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Islamic Art
The Metropolitan Museum's collection of Islamic art is the most comprehensive in the world. It includes more than 12,000 of the finest objects, dating from the seventh to the 20th century and reflecting the cultural and geographic sweep of historic Islamic civilization, which extends as far west as Spain, Morocco, and Senegal and as far east as India, Southeast Asia, and China. Outstanding holdings include the collections of glass and metalwork from Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia; more than 450 Islamic carpets—the largest collection in the United States, including a 16th-century Egyptian carpet in emerald green and wine red that is a masterpiece of Mamluk design and some 3,000 textiles; pages from a sumptuous copy of the Shahnama, or Book of Kings, created for Shah Tahmasp (1514-76), and other outstanding royal miniatures from the courts of Persia and Mughal India; and a 14th-century glazed ceramic mihrab, or prayer niche, from a theological school in Isfahan.
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An Overview of the Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's largest and finest art museums. Its collections include 1.5 million works of art spanning 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe.
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Музей The Met Cloisters. Краткий обзор
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El Met Cloisters: Reseña
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Asian Art
The Asian collection at the Metropolitan Museum is the largest and most comprehensive in the West. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works that provide – in both quality and breadth – an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world. The collection, which ranges in date from the second millennium B.C. to the early 20th century, includes paintings, woodblock prints, sculptures, metalwork, ceramics, lacquers, decorative arts, and textiles from China, Korea, and Japan, as well as the countries of South and Southeast Asia. Since the Museum's centennial in 1970, the department has been engaged in expanding its staff, collections, and display space. This process culminated in 1998 with the completion of an entire wing, occupying 64,500 square feet, devoted to Asian art – a "museum within a museum."
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European Paintings
The Museum's collection of Old Master and 19th-century European paintings – one of the greatest such collections in existence – numbers approximately 2,500 works, dozens of which are instantly recognizable worldwide. The French, Italian, Flemish, and Dutch schools are most strongly represented, with fine works also by British and Spanish masters.
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The Robert Lehman Collection
The Robert Lehman Collection – numbering nearly 3,000 works of art and one of the most extraordinary private art collections ever assembled in the United States – was presented to the Metropolitan Museum by the Robert Lehman Foundation in 1969, following Mr. Lehman's death. The collection was assembled by Mr. Lehman and his parents, and is housed today in The Robert Lehman Wing, which opened to the public in 1975, and which contains galleries that were specially designed to reflect the ambience of the Lehman house in New York City.
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Musical Instruments
The musical instruments collection at the Metropolitan Museum originated with gifts in 1889 of several hundred European, American, and non-Western instruments from private collectors Joseph W. Drexel and Mrs. John Crosby Brown. Mrs. Brown continued to give musical instruments to the Museum until her death in 1918, by which time some 4,000 items had been catalogued and placed on display, making the assemblage the largest and most comprehensive of its kind outside Europe.
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Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
Nearly 1,600 objects from Africa, the Pacific Islands, and the Americas are on view in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing. They span 3,000 years, three continents, and many islands, and represent a rich diversity of cultural traditions.
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European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
The Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts has evolved from one that was established as a repository of decorative art in 1907, during the presidency of J. Pierpont Morgan. Today it is responsible for a comprehensive and important historical collection, one of the Metropolitan Museum's largest, reflecting the development of art in the major Western European countries.
FAQs
General Information - The Metropolitan Museum of Art? ›
About the Museum
What is the Metropolitan Museum of Art about? ›The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's largest and finest art museums. Its collection spans 5,000 years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe.
What's so special about the Met? ›Outstanding holdings include the collections of glass and metalwork from Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia; more than 450 Islamic carpets—the largest collection in the United States, including a 16th-century Egyptian carpet in emerald green and wine red that is a masterpiece of Mamluk design and some 3,000 textiles; pages ...
What is the most famous thing in the Met museum? ›Aristotle with a Bust of Homer
This iconic painting is considered one of the most celebrated paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, reason alone to visit.
Collaboration: Reach across boundaries to exchange ideas and work together toward our shared mission. Excellence: Lead the cultural world in quality and expertise — and inspire curiosity and creativity. Integrity: Hold ourselves to the highest moral standards, admit when we fall short, and then evolve.
What is the most valuable item in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? ›The Metropolitan Museum of Art has acquired the last painting by Duccio di Buoninsegna, a devotional panel of the Madonna and Child above a painted, inlaid parapet, considered a landmark in the history of devotional imagery–from the Stoclet family in Brussels, Belgium for around $45 million, making it the single most ...
What is the oldest thing in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? ›Among the oldest items at the Met, a set of Archeulian flints from Deir el-Bahri which date from the Lower Paleolithic period (between 300,000 and 75,000 BCE), are part of the Egyptian collection. The first curator was Albert Lythgoe, who directed several Egyptian excavations for the museum.
Why is the Met such a big deal? ›The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event. Fashion stars and models are able to express themselves by their fit according to the theme and social gathering and is known as "fashion's biggest night"; an invitation is highly sought after.
What is Met and why is it important? ›MET is used to provide general medical thresholds and guidelines to a population. A MET is the ratio of the rate of energy expended during an activity to the rate of energy expended at rest. For example, 1 MET is the rate of energy expenditure while at rest.
What is a fun fact about the Met? ›The Met wasn't always enormous.
Today, it's known for its swanky digs on Museum Mile, a swath of Fifth Avenue that borders Central Park, but the institution was originally located in a much smaller building at 681 Fifth Avenue, which housed a Roman stone sarcophagus and 174 European paintings.
How much is the Mona Lisa worth? ›
Estimated value: US$870 million
If you're surprised that Da Vinci's Mona Lisa doesn't command the highest sale price, there's good reason that that isn't the case.
With exhibits spanning 5000 years from across the world, this museum tells the history of civilization through its art. The MET has nearly four floors full of exhibits, so you need to plan ahead to make the most of it.
What is the most visited Met exhibit? ›To mark the occasion, we've asked the Met for an updated list of its 10 most visited exhibitions of all time. Topping the list is the 2018 exhibition Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination with more than 1.6 million visitors.
What is special about Metropolitan Museum of Art? ›The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.
Who owns the Met? ›Located in Central Park, the Met's two-million-square-foot main building is owned by the city of New York, while the collections are held for the benefit of the public by the corporation's trustees.
What is the goal of the Met? ›To carry out its mission, The Met follows these guiding principles: • Build, study, conserve, and present collections that represent the highest achievement in art across all cultures and times. Create educational opportunities that demonstrate the relevance and potential of art to all audiences.
What would Keller find in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? ›My next stop would be the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for just as the Museum of Natural History reveals the material aspects of the world, so does the Metropolitan show the myriad facets of the human spirit. So on this, my second day of sight, I should try to probe into the soul of man through his art.
What is the purpose of the Met Gala? ›The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event.
What is the history of the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Kids? ›The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest and most comprehensive art museum in New York City and one of the finest in the world. The museum was incorporated in 1870 and opened two years later. It moved to its current location in Central Park in 1880. The museum has been expanded several times.
What is the difference between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the museum of Modern Art? ›The MoMA specializes in modern and contemporary art. The Met offers more dining options, including a high-end restaurant and multiple cafés. The MoMA also boasts a highly rated restaurant, with only two casual options.