All About the Metropolitan Museum of Art

he Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the world, offering millions of visitors to experience 5000 years of art history within a building that spans four city blocks on Fifth Avenue in the heart of New York City. The central stone exterior part of the building that follows Neoclassical style, conceals other interconnected buildings that were built over the course of several decades starting from 1870s. The establishment of the institution was proclaimed with “encouraging and developing the study of fine arts, and the application of the arts to manufacture and practical life, of advancing general knowledge of kindred subjects, and, to that end, furnishing popular instruction”. The Metropolitan Museum acts as United State’s symbol that its unique cultural heritage, representing artistic history, and offering educational, aesthetic and social opportunities to its visitors to engage within the museum. The Met serves a worldwide audience, but its ideal visitor seems to be associated with upper class New York society, possibly in order to attract and resemble the status of most of the museum’s benefactors. Hence, depending on the visitor’s background, interests and goals, the setting might either include or exclude him. Though, the involvement cannot be guessed and predetermined based on the set of factors, as each person’s museum experience in unique.

Museum’s prime location right next to the Central Park allows a visitor to experience the atmosphere of the vibrant Manhattan right before he gets immersed into the times of ancient Egypt, Greek antiquity, and other traditions; and introduced to paintings, pieces and sculptures of many masters of our time. The Met’s staircase appears to be the central axis of the square in front of the museum, which invites to sit down, relax, wait for companions, and for some, becomes a place of contemplation of the soul of New York City. I, while climbing the staircase, involuntarily slow down, fascinated to walk inside and explore the mysteries of the museum. Entering the main vestibule, I observe its skyward arches, rounded vaults, stately columns and an elegant gallery that runs around the perimeter, creating an impression that you are in a grand neoclassical temple. I proceed to grabbing a thin booklet in English that includes museum’s map, describes various amenities, lists cafes and libraries and gives an insight on accessibility of building’s areas. Even though a suggested route in noted on the map, a visitor is encouraged to independently formulate the procedure for familiarization with artifacts and search for those exhibits that will satisfy his interest. I notice an audio guide station that covers world’s main languages, offering to add an interactive and entertaining element to visitor’s experience. Overall, the Met creates conditions for the consumption of information by all audiences – from children of preschool age to people with disabilities, from curious tourists to experienced art history professionals. Every person within the museum becomes a creator of meanings and implications for himself.

The Metropolitan Museum is financed by the ongoing support of companies and donor funds, large contributions from the banks, businesses and public organizations, and sponsorship of individual exhibitions. Generous grants are also transferred by private individuals. For some, it is also a common practice to leave an inheritance to the name of the museum. The Met publishes thousands of names and titles of sponsoring funds in annual reports and places plates of acknowledgment throughout the museum.

One of the very noticeable marble plates that spans the full width of one of the massive columns is devoted to the corporate benefactors of the museum, with the firm names engraved on it. Another one is placed to the right of the central exhibition entrance, and is dedicated to all the past and current presidents of the Board of Trustees. The board has an influence on all the activities within the museum, including finding a fine balance between generating revenue and keeping the museum as a social and educational institution. Interestingly enough, I notice that most of the acknowledged donors are males. Hence, the necessity to appeal to the masculine high-class perspective to stimulate the fundraising has shaped the museum experience in some way. I, personally, sensed being welcomed and connected to, specifically, the elite atmosphere within the museum. At the same time, I felt like my weaker feminine side has an enhanced presence during my visit. I could imagine that I would enjoy the stroll around the Met, holding a forearm of a stronger male by my side.

This incredible architectural complex with an extraordinary aura, generates special historical and aesthetic associations, provoking a whole bunch of sensations and emotions. At the Met, one can observe art in a historical setting and feel the breath of the ages while walking between exhibitions. When I walk into the main glass doors of the American Wing, I suddenly appear in the corner of an enlightened courtyard, The Charles Engelhard Court. The light is coming through the wall of glass that curves into the rooftop, illuminating the hall and infusing it with brightness. To my right, hidden from the direct light, there is a gorgeous stained glass piece, “Autumn Landscape” by Tiffany, that takes my breath away for a second. Fixed in a wooden frame, the piece exerts the light itself by its play of colors, magnetically attracting me to stand in front and immerse myself in the landscape design. Proceeding further, I have a better view on the primary wall decorated with the facade of The Branch Bank of the United States, originally located at 15 ½ Wall Street in New York City. Many luxurious large-scale sculptures of American masters are placed around the perimeter and spread around in a spacious manner. Central part of the courtyard is dominated by guilt bronze half-sized reproduction of Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ “Diana”. The setting encourages the visitor to take a stroll through the venue, aesthetically and thematically compare the pieces, giving an option to take an up-close look at each object. Each masterpiece has a non-distracting white label attached nearby with a further description of the object and its artist, seeming to serve a secondary role at the exhibition as the main purpose of the layout is to provoke an emotional reaction. I proceed to the sitting area that spans a small fountain, passing fake foliage and decorative street lamps. Now, I have a better view of the atrium and balcony galleries, being able to take a glance at outstanding collections of American silver, ceramics and glass, and prepare myself before diving deeply into American interior design and architecture of Colonial to early modern times. A visitor is able to complete a tour of the decorative arts and interiors by passing through 19 period rooms arranged in chronological sequence. A whole chain of rooms reproduces former Anglo-American values and is decorated with authentic furniture, wall upholstery, paintings and other meaningful pieces that correspond to each style and era. This type of organization transforms visitor’s experience and stimulates imagination, fully immersing him in the past. The Met engages the audience, provoking and altering the way of appraisal of the nation’s artistic heritage and patrimony.

One of the Met’s current special exhibitions is dedicated to the Dutch paintings of the seventeenth century that includes masterpieces of Vermeer, Rembrandt, Hals, and others. The showing consists of the museum’s permanent collection pieces with a purpose of celebrating an influential period of art history as well as praising the Metropolitan’s rich and vast holdings of the Golden Age. It takes me some time to reach the show, since it is located further away from the museum’s formal entrance, on the ground floor of the Robert Lehman Wing. The Wing was built to acknowledge Robert Lehman’s generous donation of about 2600 art works of different kinds, and to display the pieces for public enjoyment in a setting that intends to resemble the residence of the Lehman household. My curiosity and excitement builds up as I am walking down the narrow staircase in between two massive stone walls within a skylit gallery to reach my destination. The ground space is hidden and creates an atmosphere of exclusiveness. Assuming that not every wondering tourist will pass through the exhibition, I am delightfully pleased to see it busy. As I enter, I am immediately put in front of the icon of the Dutch collection at the Met: “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer” by Rembrandt. This masterpiece entirely immerses me by its profound color palette, making a powerful impact and setting the mood for my tour. Additionally, the painting is hanged onto a dark emerald green colored wall in order to intensify an impression on a visitor. To the right of the Rembrandt’s work, there are two plates with descriptions of the exhibition hanging, providing with an insight on the collection and noting an option of using an audio guide that provides and expert commentary from the curator and conservators. The soft light makes me relaxed and calm, creating a perfect atmosphere to have a conversation with a companion. Separate ceiling lightbulbs are shining directly onto the art works, and thus, putting each one on a pedestal and highlighting their significance. The space is made up of a full circle are that makes a visitor walk past all the exhibited pieces. This type of seclusion fully immerses me into the narrative about America’s broader taste for Dutch art presented by the Met.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art adapts to the range of needs expressed by its visitors and continues to inspire people to stimulate their re-engagement with an institution. The ease of assimilation of complex material and the entertaining nature of the exhibits change visitor’s perspective. The Met accomplishes a remarkable goal by making the visitor not a passive observer, but an active participant in the process of the museum experience. Curious children are exploring the crevices of the ancient Egyptian temple fragments. Naughty teens are picking up the coins of unfamiliar countries left by tourists in the fountain in the American Wing. Students cannot take their eyes off the medieval armor and Japanese swords. Lovers are kissing in front of the canvases of Renoir. Journalists, critiques and writers are sitting down on the museum’s benches, writing their material in harmony. Wealthy gentlemen and their wives are having coffee at the fine dining cafés. Elderly are stopping in front of the temple Dendur, thinking about the eternal, being completely transferred from the Met to the banks of Nile. And lastly, if an overwhelmed tourist is thrown into New York for a short hour or two, being able to visit only one of the city sights, undoubtedly, the main path should lead him to the Metropolitan Museum.