For you frequent NYC
travellers out there, you probably have your personal must-see spots: a
local restaurant, a public park, a rooftop bar; for me, that place is
the Metropolitan Museum of Art (or the ‘Met’, if you want to sound like you know where you’re going!).
The Met is one of the largest art museums in the WORLD, and from the three times that I’ve been to there (of the 4 times that I’ve visited Manhattan), I can confidently say that more than half the Met’s collection on display is still brand new to me.
“Museum Mile”…miles on miles on miles of exhibits…
I mean, it’s such a massive museum that you really can’t go in there with a plan. Located on the eastern edge of Central Park along “Museum Mile”, you buy your ticket (or if you’re a Calculated Traveller like me, schedule your visit on a pay-what-you-want day) and literally, get lost. The Met is ENORMOUS, and if you’re a real museum-buff, then plan for spending at least a day here. As a general tip I would grab a couple of floor plans (just in case), set up a spot to meet up at a set time with your friends or family, and start exploring!
For those of you just starting to plan your first trip to the Met, here are five of the spots that seem to always catch my eye. Hopefully this will help you get an idea of the type of work that the Met has (which ranges from Contemporary Art to Ancient Art from around the world), and help try to plan your path through the galleries.
1. Tiffany Garden Landscape and Fountain
I find that the American Wing is a great starting place. I usually go the first thing in the morning – so I love getting some breakfast at the Café when everything is fresh and sit in the sculpture gallery. The museum opens at 10am, so it’s a great place to not only start your day, but to start off your visit to the Met!
Now, if you can get past the distraction (or marvel) of the famous sculptures in the center of the atrium, take a look at the side exhibitions on the first level, opposite the café. The Met holds quite the collection of early Louis C. Tiffany art glass (of Tiffany Studios) on the borders of the atrium. You might be familiar with the Tiffany contemporary clear glass that you most often see today, however early in his career, Tiffany began experimenting with iridescent glass and mosaics for architectural applications from churches to department stores, particularly in New York and Chicago. This fountain on display is said to have been a study for a commission in 1915.
2. Temple of Dendur
This one’s a given. It’s the work of art that is in all of the Google searches of the museum online; it’s also the biggest, most memorable spot in the Met. The Temple of Dendur is recreated in this grand light-filled space, giving you the chance to see what it’s like to walk through an Ancient Egyptian complex from 15 B.C. While the architecture is just something to marvel at, you might be asking – what makes this any different from any other Ancient Egyptian exhibit or temple recreation? Well, the most unique thing that I found about the Dendur complex is that it actually has 19th century graffiti visible, carved in by passersby to leave their mark. Take a close look at the walls and find the very familiar handwritten language carved into the stone!
3. Kwoma Ceiling
On the opposite side of the Met, the Kwoma Ceiling is hung above Asian-Pacific artifacts of New Guinea. The Kwoma people would build these ceremonial structures that would only consist of a roof on posts and beams. Villages would have one or two of these houses, and the roof would essentially span nearly to the ground level, as if it were a tent hovering over air. What’s really amazing about this is the amount of intricate details that were put into the ceiling structure; stories would be painted on the bark-like panels, representing people, animals or other natural phenomena associated with the village clans.
4. Armour of Henry II of France
The Met has an impressive collection of Arms and Armour, including this highly decorated Armour of Henry II of France from around 1555. Made of steel in various treatments, this is one of the most elaborate and complete French parade armours and retains much of its original colour. ‘Nuff said.
5. Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles
Couldn’t leave out a painting when talking about any Fine Arts museum. One that really caught my eye was the panoramic room of a 360 view of the Palace of Versailles. Completed in 1819 by John Vanderlyn, the painting offers the illusion of being smack in the middle of the famed palace gardens. Interestingly, this painting was essentially part of New York’s first “art museum”; the panoramic painting (166 feet in circumference) was displayed behind New York’s City Hall in a Rotunda built specifically for the painting.
BONUS: Rooftop Garden Café
This isn’t really a work of art, but it’s pretty enough of a view to consider it as such! Only accessible from a single elevator on the fifth floor in the middle of the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts gallery in the summer and fall seasons, the Met’s Rooftop Garden Café and Martini Bar is quite the hidden gem in the city. It offers some of the best views of Manhattan’s skyline with Central Park’s foliage in the foreground, and often has on display special contemporary art installations (past installations include those by Jeff Koons). Grab a drink and end your day off watching the sun set behind NYC’s tallest buildings!
What are your must see works of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City? Share them in the comments below.By Jamie Kwan on September 25, 2014 in Destinations, United States fonte: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti http://www.calculatedtraveller.com/blog/5-must-see-works-art-metropolitan-museum-nyc/
The Met is one of the largest art museums in the WORLD, and from the three times that I’ve been to there (of the 4 times that I’ve visited Manhattan), I can confidently say that more than half the Met’s collection on display is still brand new to me.
“Museum Mile”…miles on miles on miles of exhibits…
I mean, it’s such a massive museum that you really can’t go in there with a plan. Located on the eastern edge of Central Park along “Museum Mile”, you buy your ticket (or if you’re a Calculated Traveller like me, schedule your visit on a pay-what-you-want day) and literally, get lost. The Met is ENORMOUS, and if you’re a real museum-buff, then plan for spending at least a day here. As a general tip I would grab a couple of floor plans (just in case), set up a spot to meet up at a set time with your friends or family, and start exploring!
For those of you just starting to plan your first trip to the Met, here are five of the spots that seem to always catch my eye. Hopefully this will help you get an idea of the type of work that the Met has (which ranges from Contemporary Art to Ancient Art from around the world), and help try to plan your path through the galleries.
1. Tiffany Garden Landscape and Fountain
I find that the American Wing is a great starting place. I usually go the first thing in the morning – so I love getting some breakfast at the Café when everything is fresh and sit in the sculpture gallery. The museum opens at 10am, so it’s a great place to not only start your day, but to start off your visit to the Met!
Now, if you can get past the distraction (or marvel) of the famous sculptures in the center of the atrium, take a look at the side exhibitions on the first level, opposite the café. The Met holds quite the collection of early Louis C. Tiffany art glass (of Tiffany Studios) on the borders of the atrium. You might be familiar with the Tiffany contemporary clear glass that you most often see today, however early in his career, Tiffany began experimenting with iridescent glass and mosaics for architectural applications from churches to department stores, particularly in New York and Chicago. This fountain on display is said to have been a study for a commission in 1915.
2. Temple of Dendur
This one’s a given. It’s the work of art that is in all of the Google searches of the museum online; it’s also the biggest, most memorable spot in the Met. The Temple of Dendur is recreated in this grand light-filled space, giving you the chance to see what it’s like to walk through an Ancient Egyptian complex from 15 B.C. While the architecture is just something to marvel at, you might be asking – what makes this any different from any other Ancient Egyptian exhibit or temple recreation? Well, the most unique thing that I found about the Dendur complex is that it actually has 19th century graffiti visible, carved in by passersby to leave their mark. Take a close look at the walls and find the very familiar handwritten language carved into the stone!
3. Kwoma Ceiling
On the opposite side of the Met, the Kwoma Ceiling is hung above Asian-Pacific artifacts of New Guinea. The Kwoma people would build these ceremonial structures that would only consist of a roof on posts and beams. Villages would have one or two of these houses, and the roof would essentially span nearly to the ground level, as if it were a tent hovering over air. What’s really amazing about this is the amount of intricate details that were put into the ceiling structure; stories would be painted on the bark-like panels, representing people, animals or other natural phenomena associated with the village clans.
4. Armour of Henry II of France
The Met has an impressive collection of Arms and Armour, including this highly decorated Armour of Henry II of France from around 1555. Made of steel in various treatments, this is one of the most elaborate and complete French parade armours and retains much of its original colour. ‘Nuff said.
5. Panoramic View of the Palace and Gardens of Versailles
Couldn’t leave out a painting when talking about any Fine Arts museum. One that really caught my eye was the panoramic room of a 360 view of the Palace of Versailles. Completed in 1819 by John Vanderlyn, the painting offers the illusion of being smack in the middle of the famed palace gardens. Interestingly, this painting was essentially part of New York’s first “art museum”; the panoramic painting (166 feet in circumference) was displayed behind New York’s City Hall in a Rotunda built specifically for the painting.
BONUS: Rooftop Garden Café
This isn’t really a work of art, but it’s pretty enough of a view to consider it as such! Only accessible from a single elevator on the fifth floor in the middle of the European Sculpture and Decorative Arts gallery in the summer and fall seasons, the Met’s Rooftop Garden Café and Martini Bar is quite the hidden gem in the city. It offers some of the best views of Manhattan’s skyline with Central Park’s foliage in the foreground, and often has on display special contemporary art installations (past installations include those by Jeff Koons). Grab a drink and end your day off watching the sun set behind NYC’s tallest buildings!
What are your must see works of art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City? Share them in the comments below.By Jamie Kwan on September 25, 2014 in Destinations, United States fonte: @edisonmariotti #edisonmariotti http://www.calculatedtraveller.com/blog/5-must-see-works-art-metropolitan-museum-nyc/
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