The MET, the largest art museum in the United States

In 1866, several American celebrities from the worlds of art and business decided to create a museum to make art accessible to all American citizens. The founders organised three private collections from Europe. Four years later, the Metropolitan Museum of Art officially opened its doors in a building on 5th Avenue in New York. At the time, its collection consisted of a Roman sarcophagus and around a hundred paintings.

In 1880, the MET moved to its current location on the east side of Central Park. The original building was a neo-Gothic red-brick mausoleum, which can still be seen in some parts of the current museum, which has been constantly enlarged as its collections have grown. By the 20th century, the Metropolitan Museum of Art was already one of the world's greatest art museums.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents more than 250,000 works to its visitors, so it's easy to imagine the gargantuan size of the museum. Spread over three floors, the MET's 280 rooms are divided into 17 departments to facilitate the visit. One wing is devoted to Asian art, another to musical instruments and so on. More than 5,000 years of art and culture, from prehistory to the present day, await you at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and you probably won't have time to see everything: use the interactive map to plan your visit in advance.

Don't miss the department of European painting, which includes some of the most important works by the greatest European painters such as Rembrandt, Renoir, Matisse, Vermeer and many others. The MET also boasts the world's richest collection of American art, so a visit to the heart of the museum is a must!

In addition to European and American works, the Metropolitan Museum of Art boasts a phenomenal collection ofartefacts and objets d'art from all over the world. The Department of Egyptian Antiquities, for example, is well worth a visit, with its incredible mummies and jewels. This is also where you can discover the impressive Temple of Dendur, dedicated to the god Osiris and donated to the MET by Egypt in the 1960s.

The Islamic art department, meanwhile, boasts a formidable number of colourful Iranian carpets and objects of all kinds. There are also Japanese ceremonial costumes in the Asian Art department and statues from ancient Greece. All displayed in an exceptional museography. The MET also organises a number of very interesting conferences and short film screenings on the subject of art: you can find the full programme of events in the museum diary.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the world, and boasts an impressive collection that would be a shame to ignore on a trip to New York. Allow at least three hours to have time to admire the main works, though you won't have time to see everything in one visit.

🚌 How do I get to the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is located in Central Park, in the eastern part of the park. The nearest metro station is 86th Street and is served by lines 4, 5 and 6. From there, it's about a 10-minute walk to the MET.

⏰ Opening hours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is open from 10am to 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and from 10am to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. It is open all year round excluding Thanksgiving Day, 25 December, 1 January and the first Monday in May.

👛 Prices for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

• Full price: $30
• Over 64s: $22
• Students: $17
• Under 12s: free

To reserve your ticket online, go directly to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's official website. You can also buy your ticket on site.