Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Avenue at 82nd Street
(212) 879-5500
What's
New 
Inside
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The Metropolitan Museum of
Art, located at 5th Avenue and 82nd Street, is a beautifully
arranged, magnificently displayed work of art in its own right.
It is the largest art museum in this hemisphere and features
over three million works of art, some of which dates back to the
Paleolithic Era. Both tourists and art aficionados will be
overwhelmed by the scope of art treasures inside, making a
visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art an essential part of any
trip to New York.
The Museum first opened
its doors in 1880, ten years after it was founded. Although it
has undergone several structural and architectural changes over
the years, it remains awe-inspiring, even today. Visitors who enter from 5th
Avenue will find themselves in the Great Hall, an enormous
chamber that has been declared a national landmark. From there,
take the elegant marble staircase up to the European galleries,
which showcase priceless works from Rembrant, Botticelli and
others.
The American Wing is near
the European galleries, and is also accessible from the first
floor staircase. Here, visitors can examine marvelous paintings
as well as antique furniture, all of which well laid out and
organized. It recommended to start at the third floor of the
exhibit and work downward from there to ensure that nothing is
left unseen.
Another very noteworthy
portion of the museum contains the Greek and Roman galleries, located on the first floor. These galleries include statues and
paintings taken from Mount Vesuvius, as well as other paintings
from the Greek and Roman periods. This exhibit is particularly
stirring because some of the wall etchings are several hundred of
thousand years old.
Also located on the first
floor is the Met’s renowned Egyptian collection, including a
fully assembled Temple of Dendur piece complete with a faithful
recreation of the Nile. The Armana Art Galleries located near
the Temple, enhance the atmosphere of the collection by
showcasing interesting Egyptian paintings and sculptures.
In the Spring of 2000, The
Met opened its Cypriot Gallery with a selection of roughly 600
works from Cyprus in all major mediums. The
works have been selected from the museum’s historic Cesnola 
Collection and date from ca. 2500 B.C. to ca. A.D. 300. The
Cesnola collection ranges from the Bronze Age to the end of the
Roman period and is remarkable not only for its historical
breadth, but also for its size and diversity.
Plan to set aside the
better part of the day if you intend to visit - there’s that
much to see. Admission is $8 in the form of a suggested
donation, and tours are available every fifteen minutes from the
tour board in the Great Hall. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is
open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. until
5:15 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 8:45
p.m. For
more information, please call (212)879-5500.
Major exhibitions
currently running at the Met:
See What's
New for Others
John Singer Sargent Beyond the Portrait
Studio: Paintings, Drawings, and Watercolors from the Collection
One of the most acclaimed American artists of his
generation, John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) achieved
international recognition as a painter of society portraits by
the mid-1880s. Now, some 100 of Sargent’s compelling oils,
watercolors, and drawings – all from the extensive holdings of
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and many seldom
seen by the public – are on view through
September 24, 2000
To learn more about the new exhibit please click here.
The Annenberg Collection of Impressionist and
Post-Impressionist Masterworks
The Metropolitan Museum of Art welcomes back 53
paintings, watercolors and drawings by 18 of the greatest
artists who worked in France during the 19th and
early 20th centuries. The Annenberg Collection of
Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterworks returns for
its sixth year and is currently on view through November 5,
2000.
Click here for details
