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The marvel that is the MET

As Frank Sinatra’s song goes, ”if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere”, perhaps that’s why New York is perceived by many in the world to be the city where dreams come true. It’s where you go to “be a part of it”, and the city that doesn’t sleep is synonymous with unbridled success, art, culture, music and even its own food culture. A Mecca for the cosmopolitan in all of us, New York is one of the world’s most popular cities by no coincidence.

New York is not only the home of the US’s premier financial district, Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange, but it also enjoys the status of being one of the planet’s culturally diverse locales. An epicenter for music, art and literature lovers, it is no wonder that New York is also where one of the worlds’ most illustrious and biggest art galleries is located.

Pleasantly situated along the eastern rim of iconic Central Park in what is called the Museum Mile of NYC lays the MET or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Housing over two million works of art from across the globe, the Met also has nineteen curatorial wings securing some of the worlds’ most sought after works of art. Spread out over one quarter of a mile and two million square feet the Met is organized under prominent academics, restorers and curators.

Visitors will marvel at the museum’s extensive collection of art work ranging from those belonging to classical antiquity to popular work from Ancient Egypt and collections of sculptures and paintings of all of Europe’s premier artists. The Met also hosts an impressive collection of modern art and American art in addition to pieces of the Byzantine, African, Islamic, Oceanic, and Asian artistic legacies.

An expansive assortment of musical instruments, weaponry, costumes and armour can also be seen at the Met which also houses significant interiors ranging from first century Rome to contemporary American motifs.

Some of the Met’s must-see collections include the American Decorative Arts Department which displays around 12,000 pieces done by such renowned artists as Louis Comfort Tiffany, Paul Revere and Tiffany & Co. The American paintings and sculpture section includes works by greats such as John Singer Sargent, Winslow Homer, Thomas Eakins and James McNeill Whistler while the Asian department houses pieces from the Ming Dynasty and Chinese calligraphy among Tibetan and Nepalese works.

Other popular sections include the Egyptian Art collection and the Greek and Roman art compilation, the European Art sections also garners visitor attention for its notable collections of the great masters.  With more than 37 paintings by Monet, 18 Rembrandts and 21 oil paintings by Cézanne, the Met is also home to the largest Vermeer collection in the world. Van Gogh’s  self portrait and Botticelli's Last Communion of St Jerome are also not to be missed while sculptures by the likes of Bernini's, Rodin, Voltaire, and Houdon are also on display.

The Robert Lehman Collection and the Costume Institute are also worth visiting as well as its well stocked libraries. The Met’s roof garden hosts many collections depending on the season where guests can focus on the work of a single artist in spectacular exhibitions that attract visitors from far and wide.

Millennium Broadway Hotel New York is ideally located within close proximity of the Met and serves as the perfect New York hotel for holidaymakers and those on business.

About the Author

Pushpitha Wijesinghe is an experienced independent freelance writer. He specializes in providing a wide variety of content and articles related to the travel hospitality industry.