Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is an art museum. It is sometimes called The Met. It is found on the eastern edge of Central Park in New York City. It has a collection of more than two million works of art.

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The main building is one of the world's largest art galleries, at about 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m²) in area.^[1] The Met is the most popular art museum in the United States with more than 5 million visitors each year. There is also a much smaller second location, the Cloisters. The Cloisters museum and gardens, which opened to the public in 1938, is a branch of the Museum. It is located in Inwood, in northern Manhattan. It has medieval art.^[2] The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which includes its Main Building on Fifth Avenue and the Cloisters in northern Manhattan, dates back to 1866.

People are asked to donate to the museum upon admission. However, one can choose not to donate. The museum suggests a $25 donation per person.^[3]

History

In 1866, a group of Americans in Paris, France, agreed to create a "national institution and gallery of art". Their goal was to bring art and art education to the American people.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870. The founders included businessmen and financiers, as well as leading artists and thinkers of the day, who wanted to open a museum to bring art and art education to the American people.^[4] It opened on February 20, 1872, and was originally located at 681 Fifth Avenue.^[5]

Collections

The museum has art from classical antiquity and Ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures from European artists, and a large collection of American and modern art. There is also a large number of African, Asian, Oceanic, Byzantine, and Islamic artwork.^[6] The museum has collections of musical instruments, costumes and accessories, and antique weapons and armor from around the world.^[7]