History Of The Museum
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art also known as The Met is based in New York City and is the largest art museum in the United States Of America.
The Museum first opened its doors to the public on the 20th February 1872. It had a total of 174 paintings on display, these were mostly European art. Over the years the museum acquired many beautiful pieces of art and collections and in 1873 it purchased the Cesnola Collection of Cypriot antiquities. Following this purchase it moved location from its Fifth Avenue building and took up residence at a larger location the Mrs. Nicholas Cruger Mansion also known as the Douglas Mansion. As the collection continued to grow the premises could only be used as a temporary location and the building soon became to small. In 1880 the museum moved all of its collections back to a larger building back on Fifth Avenue and it is still located here today.
After several expansions and acquiring more and more land the gallery now has a permanent collection that contains over 2 million works spread across 17 curatorial departments and displays some of the most famous and beautiful pieces of art in equally beautiful and exquisite frames.
The museum currently measures almost 1⁄4-mile long and has more than 2 million square feet of floor space, more than 20 times the size of the original 1880 building.
Image credit: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/libraries-and-research-centers/watson-digital-collections/metropolitan-museum-of-art-publications
Image credit: https://newcriterion.com/issues/2013/9/miracle-at-the-met-7681
Collections
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art’s extensive permanent collection is spread across 17 different departments and all areas of art are displayed within these relevant departments. These departments are:
- Egyptian Art
- Greek and Roman Art
- Medieval Art and The Cloisters
- Ancient Near East
- American Art
- Islamic Art
- Asian Art
- Modern Art
- Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas
- European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
- The Robert Lehman Collection
- European Paintings
- Photographs
- Drawings and Prints
- Musical Instruments
- The Costume Institute
- Arms and Armor
What Art And Frames Are On Display
The walls of the Metropolitan Museum Of Art hold some truly stunning masterpieces from all over the world, some of the most famous and iconic artworks you will see on display here are:
- Polyptych with the Nativity by Rogier van der Weyden.
- The Dance Class by Edgar Degas
- The Houses Of Parliament by Monet
- Still Life With A Bottle Of Rum by Picasso
- Self Portrait With A Straw Hat by Vincent Van Gogh
- Aristotle Contemplating the Bust of Homer by Rembrandt
- Washington Crossing The Delaware by Emanuel Leutze
These are but a handful of examples of what you can expect to see at the museum, but aside from the artwork itself there really is an amazing array of framework that houses these masterpieces. Most of the works on display are housed in stunning antique frames full of carved patterns and designs all finished in gold leaf detail. One of the most impressive of these antique carved frames is the one that houses Washington Crossing The Delaware. It’s a mammoth 12 feet x 21 feet and has some exquisite carving including the eagle which sits on the top of this frame. Not all frames are what you would call traditional here, a very unique shaped frame on display is the one that houses Polyptych with the Nativity, this frame is long with a higher middle section to surround Jesus, this painting is also in sections that have all been framed and hinged together to allow the piece to be displayed in various ways. (picture right)
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