METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

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. Any tourist or art aficionado will be overwhelmed by the scope of the 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 has remained at the forefront of aesthetic beauty and is still awe-inspiring 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.

Also in the area is the American Wing, which is also accessible from the first floor staircase. Here, you’ll be able to examine marvelous paintings as well as antique furniture, all of which is very nicely laid out and organized. It is recommended that you start at the third floor of the exhibit and work your way downward to ensure that nothing is left unseen.

Another very noteworthy portion of the museum is the Greek and Roman galleries, both located on the first floor. These galleries include statues and wall paintings taken from Mount Vesuvius, in addition to the standard oil and canvas offerings. This exhibit is particularly stirring because it really gives the visitor a sense of history, as it is hard to believe that some of these wall etchings are hundreds of thousands of years old.

Also located on the first floor is the Met’s renowned Egyptian collection which offers a fully assembled Temple of Dendur piece complete with a faithful recreation of the Nile. The Armana Art Galleries located near the Temple, add to the atmosphere of the collection by showcasing interesting Egyptian paintings and sculptures.

In the Spring of 2000, The Met opened it's Cypriot Gallery with a selection of roughly 600 works comprised 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 9:30am until 5:15pm, and from 9:30am until 8:45pm on Friday and Saturday. For more information, please call (212)879-5500.