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Facts about the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York

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Facts about the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York
Facts about the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) in New York

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, better known as the Met, is the largest museum in the United States, and one of the largest in the world, with a huge collection of works of art.

I’ve never been to the Met, not to New York either. The truth is that until recently I had not wanted to visit the Big Apple, although this great museum has always caught my attention to be able to see some of the most important works of art in history on a real scale.

As you may already know, every time I visit a big city, I try to visit its main museums of Contemporary Art because it is one of the places where you can see the main criticisms openly towards its own society as well as the new initiatives and the character of its artists.

But despite the fact that today the Met is one of the most important museums in the world, this was not always the case. I leave you with this guest post that has made me discover some curiosities of this great museum that one day I hope to know.

The Met wasn’t always on Fifth Avenue

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 and officially opened on February 20, 1872, at 681 Fifth Avenue.

However, due to its growing collection, the museum was forced to relocate, occupying a building known as the Douglas Mansion, located at 128 West 14th Street in the year 1873.

It was not until 1879 that the museum came to occupy its present Central Park location, where constant additions have been made to accommodate the ever-growing art collection.

It houses the oldest piano in the world

Beyond works of art such as paintings and sculptures, the museum also houses nearly 5,000 musical instruments that have been collected since the first donation in 1889.

Among these instruments is the oldest piano, a model by Bartolomeo Cristofori himself that dates back to 1720.

He broke his own visitor record in 2015

Despite its age and the many years it has been open, the museum has not lost its popularity. Every year, millions of visitors from around the world come to this museum to admire its collections and learn more about the history of humanity through art and world culture, represented at length throughout its rooms.

In July 2015 it was officially announced that the Met had received a record 6.3 million visitors during the previous fiscal year.

For those who want to know about this magnificent museum and visit some other points of interest in the city, there is CityPASS New York!

This booklet offers discounts to many of the attractions in New York City such as the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, and of course, the Met! All entries in one.

ℹ︎ If you want to know what the next exhibitions will be at the Mec you can check their website and if you want to look for cheap flights you can take a look at how the prices are on Skyscanner.

 

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