October 6th
The Met
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, aka The Met was originally opened in 1872. Seeded by an art collection owned by John Taylor Johnston, a railroad executive, they quickly outgrew their original location on 5th Avenue.
Today the enormous collection is located on the east side of Central Park and the holdings make up the third largest museum in the world. It is only outsized by #1: The Louvre in Paris and #2: the British Museum in London.
There are over 2 million pieces in the collection which is curated by seventeen different departments. The exhibits include categories ranging from/including classic antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculpture from nearly all the European Masters, American and Modern art, as well as African, Asian, Oceanian, Byzantine and Islamic art. There is a section devoted to musical instruments, costumes, antique weapons and armor from around the world as well as interior furnishings and special exhibits on loan for a short time.
We went on a Friday, where the museum is open until 9:00 pm. Even staying late into the evening, we saw only a portion of this massive, massive place. As much as I love museums, the enormity of the place was a little intimidating. There is just no way to do justice to seeing it properly or in its entirety in a single day.
Honestly, one could spend a day just in one section which would be the equivalent to a visit to any other “normal size” museum.
Still, we gave it our best shot, roaming from one section to another, where I snapped photos of pieces that caught my eye.
I’ll try to break down my numerous photos into several groups, hoping it will help make some sense out of all we experienced.
On a side note – please notice the frames on some of the paintings. They themselves are sometimes a work of art and add much to the picture.
First some overview shots:
Courtyard
Medieval Art
European Sculpture
European Sculpture:
Orpheus (European sculpture section)
Fragmentary colossal marble head of a youth – Greek (2nd century B.C.)
Art of Africa, Oceania and the Americas:
Asmat Bis Poles
Benin Ivory Pendant Mask, Nigeria (16th Century Ivory)
Funerary Mask, Peru (9th-11th Century)
A variety of rooms and time periods:
Washington Crossing the Delaware by Emanuel Leutze
Collection of glassware
Autumn Landscape by Agnes Northrop for Tiffany Studios
Special exhibits:
Special exhibit of work by Cristobal de Villalpando
The Thinker, Rodin
Egyptian artifacts:
Colossal Statue of a Pharaoh
Three figures from the tomb of Merti (ca. 2380-2323 B.C.)
Artemidora – Mummy
Work by my favorite artist – Vincent van Gogh:
Madame Roulin and Her Baby by Vincent van Gogh
Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh
Self Portrait With a Straw Hat by Vincent van Gogh
A few favorite masters:
Monet Gallery
Study for “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat
By the Seashore by Auguste Renoir
Seated Harlequin by Pablo Picasso
It was long after dark when we departed. Sadly we had only seen perhaps half of the exhibits 😦
The Met
GRATITUDE MOMENT: It is hard to properly pay respect to the thousands of artisans who have contributed the masterpieces contained within these walls. On occasion, I would stop, gaze at, and ponder the God-given talent that flowed onto a canvas or chiseled a stone to reveal a hidden treasure. The majority of these masters are long since gone. I wonder who today will bring forth the next works of art that will be seen in museums of the future.
A Note From Abroad 
Great photos. Enjoying your trip to NYC – for future reference!
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Thank you Jill
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When it feels like we’re surrounded by all the crap in the world, seeing the magnificence we can be, and create, as a species, gives a me hope again. 🙂
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I agree with you. Seeing the beauty in both art and nature gives one hope.
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Beautiful photos of wonderful pieces of art. You are right some of the frames are works of art.
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Weren’t those frames special? I loved seeing how they were matched to each piece.
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We are a capable race when we apply ourselves, what you just witnessed proves it. Thorougly enjoyed. Are you going back to see what you missed?
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Sadly we did not have time to return before our ship departed, but would love to return someday.
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Wow, how astounding Joanne. And I know you’ve only shown us a few pieces. At the also-huge Louvre and British Museum, I was on sensory overload. But I’m warmed seeing that you got to view some of my favorite artists, including Van Gogh. One of my favorite art museums actually is The Getty, in Los Angeles, practically in your backyard. Great art, great manageable size, great design, and incredible hilltop setting. I love the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Musee d’Orsay in Paris too. Nice scale at each. Hooray for you two seeing the Met. Here’s to your New England cruise!
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Mike, I confess that I shared all of those Van Gogh paintings with you in mind. We love the Getty Museum, but the Getty Villa is even better in our opinion.
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A wonderful place you can wander for days to see the art, and I doubt that would be enough time to completely explore this Museum.
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To have days there would be a dream come true.
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It’s been ever so long since I have been there, Joanne. It is definitely time for another visit. Thanks for the review. –Curt
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You are so welcome!
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Thank you for another great one. Cannot wait to see your next.
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More coming before long!
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My favorite is the temple of Dendur. But it is all pretty incredible.
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I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite piece out of the multitudes. What a problem to have, right? 😬
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