150 Years of the Met: 150 Years of New York History
New York it has many charms. too many. Every year , we strive to bring out the colors of the city looking for the news, the openings, the neighborhoods to spend a couple of days... and try to understand how this magnanimous living being breathes day by day . But beyond 'what's new', the city boasts great classics (what would New York be without its Central Park, for example) and museums that bring together the best summary of the History of Humanity room by room . It is the case of MET (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) , which meets 150 years this 2020 . We have already told you about the exhibitions, events and celebration activities but... it's time to know all their secrets:
THE ORIGINAL BUILDING WAS ENgulfed BY THE WORKS
The MET opened its doors in 1870 but not in its original location if not much lower, on the same Fifth Avenue , near what, decades later, would become Rockefeller Center. The museum changed its location once again until reaching the east bank of Central Park in 1880 but it soon became small. In successive extensions, the original building was completely engulfed by the new wings.
Robert Lehman Wing, at the MET
Still, it is possible to visit it. It is located in the gallery 305 where do you get up the gate of the choir of the Cathedral of Valladolid . Also, you can also see the exterior facade . One of the neo-gothic walls of the sculpture patio still resists and you will find the west side in the Robert Lehman Wing (galleries 961 and 962 ). If you like this adventure, go to gallery 690 to see the face that faced Fifth Avenue, and you still have the stairs accessible by the gallery 304 , in the medieval wing, which are the originals.
** OFFERS A VERY INTERESTING 3 FOR 1 **
This MET offer is not surpassed by any supermarket. buying a ticket you will have free access to the other two museums in the city . We talk about The Cloisters , to the north of the island of Manhattan, where its collection of Romanesque and Gothic pieces (several of them from Spain) is exhibited, and the neighboring Met Breuer , space dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
The ticket is valid for three days so you can set up a good cultural plan for your trip. Admission is $25 for adults, $17 for those over 65, and $12 for students. And if you have a colleague who lives in New York, take them with you. Residents and their companions can pay whatever they want.
The Cloisters
**YOUR FLORAL SETS ARE AT YOUR LEVEL **
Upon entering the MET, once the impact had been overcome by the width of reception , you should immediately pay attention to the flowers that decorate its corners . Some of these bouquets exceed three meters and decorate some exquisite marble vessels donated by the heir to a publishing empire. And the person responsible for these beautiful compositions is the official florist of the museum named Remco van Vliet . This Dutchman has been in this sector for generations. His great-grandfather was the one who started a business that had among his clients the Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands . Vliet says he is inspired by the works of art to create the fragrant bouquets of seasonal flowers and, of course, natural.
ONLY CLOSED FOUR DAYS A YEAR
Going to the MET is an assured plan because it is open almost every day of the year . You will only find the closed sign Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday of the month of November), in Christmas , the January 1 and the first monday in may . This last date is the one that generates the most confusion among visitors because it does not coincide with any known holiday. But that day is reserved for met gala , the great fashion festival in New York that brings together the main stars of the world of music, cinema and, of course, the catwalks.
The magnanimous entrance to the MET is decorated with natural flowers inspired by the works of art in the museum
** HIS MOST NOTABLE EXHIBITIONS ARE NOT (TECHNICALLY) OF ART **
The Fashion Institute is integrated into the museum and its top managers, the editor of the magazine fashion, Anna Wintour , and the curator, Andrew Bolton , record-breaking exhibitions are held every spring. Without going further, Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination , which could be seen from May to October 2018, currently holds the title of the most visited in history with more than a million and a half curious.
'Madonna', by John Galliano, exhibited at the MET
Religious-inspired dresses ousted celebrated Egyptian art exhibition The Treasures of Tutankhamun of 1978 . Fashion remains in the top 10 of the museum with more than 800,000 visitors from China: Through the Looking Glass and the more than half a million Alexander McQueen: Wild Beauty . So the MET is worth it even if you have no interest in painting or sculpture.
HE HAS HIS OWN PET
Do you know William? Well, like you, many visitors leave the museum without knowing anything about it. But that's what it's called official mascot of the MET . It's about a egyptian hippopotamus a span long and a beautiful turquoise color which was created, with quartz powder, around 1900 BC. The figure arrived at the museum in 1917 inside a collection taken from the tomb of the so-called Butler Senbi and it was love at first sight. The affectionate nickname was given to him years later and now that is how everyone knows him. If you want to see it in person you will find it exhibited in gallery 111.
William, the Egyptian hippopotamus and mascot of the MET
THE MAIN FACADE IS STILL UNFINISHED
The next time you visit the MET, before going up the steps, stop and look up. on top of the four groups of columns you will see a pyramid and, although you may not see anything strange, above each of them a sculpture is missing . And it's not just four. The architect who designed the new museum entrance, Richard Morris Hunt (the same one who raised the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty), planned until 31 figures that decorated the facade . Hunt died without seeing the project completed and his son, who took the reins, did not find enough support to finish it. And so it goes now an unfinished work of art . Even so, flanking the doors, the void that remained has been filled with sculptures within a temporary exhibition that gives prominence to emerging artists.
IT HAS THE BEST BAR WITH A VIEW IN MANHATTAN
Although it is no secret, many visitors leave the museum without go up to its extraordinary terrace . The main drawback is finding access. You go up in an elevator, south of the courtyard of sculptures , and you have to go to fifth floor . The other problem is that only open from april to october Y close rainy days . But it's definitely worth it for its incredible views of Manhattan's skyscrapers blooming over the treetops of Central Park. The space also gives prominence to art with a montage, always spectacular, that varies each season. Art and views with a glass of wine , is there a better plan?
The rooftop of the Metropolitan
YOUR COLLECTION HAS UNIQUE PIECES
Even knowing what you are going for, you will hardly be able to discover everything that the MET has to offer in a single day. The list is endless. Almost 14,000 weapons and armor from Europe and Asia a, the largest sample in America. More than 25,000 pieces of Egyptian art , from the Palaeolithic to the Roman era, a collection second only to the Cairo museum. the oldest, stone points to excavate or cut from more than 300,000 years ago . Of course the temple of dendur , computer raised by a Roman emperor in the year 15 and that was taken and rebuilt, stone by stone. And the oldest piano in the world, built in 1720 by its inventor, Bartolomeo Cristofori.
IT HAS BEEN IN COUNTLESS SERIES AND MOVIES
Movie buffs will want to stroll through the museum looking for its most famous locations. When Harry found Sally has a funny scene between Meg Ryan and Billy Cristal in the Egyptian wing. the thriller The Thomas Crown Secret simulates a robbery in the museum (even if the interiors are from the Fifth Avenue Public Library because they only had permission to Roda outside). Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep attend the big fashion party at The Devil Wears Prada . And also the countless scenes of the series gossip-girl Y sex in new york.
'When Harry Met Sally'
YOU HAVE TO CELEBRATE ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY
The MET prepares a marathon of events this 2020 that should not be missed . To learn all about its history, from March 30 to August 2, you can visit Making the Met, 1870-2020 . This new exhibition that will highlight the figures that have made the museum a global cultural institution and will feature 250 pieces from his private collection They can hardly ever be seen together.
On March 2 we will see the opening of the galleries dedicated to British art from 1500 to 1900 . We will also see exhibited works by private collectors who have donated the pieces to the museum. In addition to having a party, with all the pomp, on April 13, the day of its official inauguration, 150 years ago.