The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located in New York City, is one of the largest art museums in the world. It was founded in 1870 with the mission of bringing art and art education to the American people. The museum's permanent collection consists of works of art from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt, paintings and sculptures by nearly every European ancient master, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also includes artifacts and works of art of cultural and secular origin from the period indicated by the rise of Islam, predominantly from the Near East.
The Met's medieval art collection consists of a wide range of Western art from the 4th to the early 16th century, as well as Byzantine and pre-medieval European antiquities that were not included in the collection of Ancient Greece and Rome. The collection also includes artifacts from Africa, Oceania, and the Americas that were once considered primitive or ethnographic object art. John D. Rockefeller Jr. founded the Museum of Primitive Art in New York City with the intention of exhibiting these works, after the Met had previously shown disinterest in its art collection.
The main building, located at number 1000 Fifth Avenue, along the Museum Mile, on the east end of Central Park, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is home to a variety of exhibitions specially designed for the Costume Institute, paintings by artists from around the world, works of art related to specific art movements, and collections of historical artifacts. Calligraphy, both religious and secular, is well represented in the Department of Islamic Art. A recent study used a variety of data points to classify 40 cities around the world that were already known for their unique artistic and cultural scenes. The results showed that New York City has the most art museums with a total of 17 museums. This is followed by Paris with 15 museums and London with 14 museums.
Other cities with a high number of art museums include Madrid (13), Berlin (12), Vienna (11), Amsterdam (10), Rome (9), Tokyo (8), Barcelona (7), San Francisco (6), Los Angeles (5), Chicago (4), Washington D. C. (3), Boston (2) and Sydney (1).The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most renowned art museums in the world and it has a vast collection that spans many geographical regions. It is home to a variety of exhibitions that showcase works from classical antiquity to modern day.
With 17 art museums in total, New York City is undoubtedly one of the best cities for those looking to explore and appreciate art.
