About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as The Met, is a world famous art museum in New York City that was built in 1870. It is one of the largest art galleries in the world, with nearly 2 million artifacts being housed in 19 separate departments. The museum currently takes up more than 2 million square feet.

History

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded by the New York state legislature in 1870. It opened just two years later with John Taylor Johnston, a former railroad executive, serving as the first president. Initially, the museum's collection consisted of just a Roman sarcophagus and nearly 200 paintings, but it quickly grew to include much more. In 1873, after outgrowing its original space, the museum was relocated to a building on West 14th Street.

Permanent Collection

The Met's vast permanent collection is spread among 17 departments, and most of the works are housed and exhibited in its main building. Each department is staffed by a team of curators, scholars and scientists.

Represented among the museum's artifacts are paintings, photographs, sculptures, costumes and drawings from all over the world.

One of the largest and most popular departments in the museum is the Greek and Roman art collection. It contains nearly 35,000 pieces, including The Met's original sarcophagus, and is housed in the museum's main building.

Special Exhibits

The museum hosts special temporary exhibits from time to time in addition to its permanent collection. Typically, the exhibits are created specifically for The Met or loaned out from other museums. Exhibits run for months at a time and cover topics from medieval artifacts to modern artwork.