Overview
The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in two iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online. Since its founding in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum's galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.
Mission Statement - The Met was founded on April 13, 1870, "to be located in the City of New York, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining in said city a Museum and library of art, of encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts, and the application of arts to manufacture and practical life, of advancing the general knowledge of kindred subjects, and, to that end, of furnishing popular instruction." [1] - [1] Charter of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, State of New York, Laws of 1870, Chapter 197, passed April 13, 1870, and amended L.1898, ch. 34; L. 1908, ch. 21
History Research
Essays - Explore more than 1,000 essays on a wide range of topics, including artists, materials, movements, and themes. - Read more essays
Works of Art - Browse a selection of more than 8,000 works from the collection. - See all works of art
Chronologies - Trace the global evolution of art and culture across millennia. - See all chronologies
Art = Discover connections across time and cultures through more than 150 essays and 800 works of art in this book inspired by the Timeline. - Get a copy Watch the trailer Learn more