The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum located in New York City, United States. It houses over two million works of art and is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive museums.
The museum offers a wide array of events, interactive tours, and educational experiences to visitors of all ages, making it a popular attraction for locals as well as tourists.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Facts for Kids
- The Met is located at 681 Fifth Avenue, New York.
- It’s one of the largest art museums in the world.
- Has over 2 million works of art.
- It was Founded in 1870.
- Has 5 different locations in NYC.
- The Egyptian collection is one of the best in the world.
- Has American, European, and Asian art collections.
- Has a rooftop garden with sculptures.
The History of the Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) was incorporated in 1870, born out of the idea of bringing art and art education to the American people through a national institution.
Its first purchase, made on November 20th of that year, was a Roman sarcophagus. By 1880, the museum had firmly established itself as an important collector of items from ancient Greece and Rome and was growing into one of the world’s greatest art centers.
In its current home on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, The Met has continued to expand ever since, with notable additions such as The Met Cloisters in 1938 and The Met Breuer in 2016.
With over 2 million works of art spanning thousands of years across all continents, The Met acts as one of the premier cultural institutions in the world – making history accessible and inspiring new generations to further explore the past.
Exploring the Artistic Range of The Met: Classics to Innovations
Its holdings range from ancient Egyptian art to American works and decorative arts, as well as Babylonian, Assyrian, Greek and Roman, European, Islamic, and contemporary art.
The Met has several dedicated spaces for different styles of art: The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park houses the museum’s impressive Middle Ages collection; The Met Breuer is just minutes away from the main location and features modern and contemporary works; While the Thomas J. Watson Library has some of the best art reference collections in place.
For those interested in exploring The Met even further, they also offer Rewind, Play/Stop, and Fast Forward subscriber features – enabling them to listen to audio tours or view photos that provide insight into particular collections or exhibitions.
No matter what type of artwork you’re interested in discovering – whether it’s classic masterpieces or innovative modern pieces – The Met has something for everyone.
Important Facts and Overview
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is on Museum Mile in New York City.
The permanent collection of the museum contains nearly 2 million items of art.
The Robert Lehman Wing houses the museum’s European art collection.
The Met has a robust curatorial section that organizes exhibits and keeps the collection in good condition.
The Met’s medieval art collection is one of the most extensive in the world.
The Robert Lehman Collection consists of about 900 pieces of art, principally European paintings, and sculptures, donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Robert Lehman.
With approximately 7 million visitors each year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the world’s most visited art museum.
It has an extensive collection of artwork from all around the world, ranging from ancient antiquity to present times.
The curatorial department of the Met is in charge of managing and preserving the museum’s permanent collection, which contains approximately 2 million pieces of art.
The museum also features a department dedicated to classical antiquity, which includes items from ancient Greece and Rome. Furthermore, the Robert Lehman Collection includes around 900 European artworks and sculptures donated by Robert Lehman.
