Americans love everything big, preferably the greatest in the world. They do not always have it, but something can still be found. In particular, this applies to museums. They are dedicated to the most diverse aspects of life. The USA is a relatively young country and cannot boast of its own ancient history, but the care shown here in relation to national artifacts deserves respect.
American museums are diverse, their subject matter is wide. Los Angeles has an exposition dedicated to ... death. From the main sign of visitors a cheerful skull invites inside. There are museums of jazz musicians and rock stars, their fans come here from all over the world. The aircraft carrier "Interpid", which suffered kamikaze attacks during the Second World War and was now frozen in an eternal parking lot, became both an exhibit and a storage space for exhibits at the same time.
American museums
The expositions devoted to aviation, astronautics, Indians, competitions in spitting in length, sports, painting and sculpture are very interesting. Someone will want to visit exhibitions telling about the pioneers of the wild West, the circus, UFOs ... America never ceases to amaze. But special and completely unique can be called the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. He is rightly considered the best collection of works of art and historical artifacts throughout the Western Hemisphere. It is still difficult to compete with the East.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA) - the main museum of the country
The name has nothing to do with the subway, the type of public transport (here it is called a subway). It comes from the word "metropolis", that is, the main city. New York - "Big Apple", but not the capital. Nevertheless, some exaggeration of the significance of this metropolis can be forgiven, especially considering that the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art is indeed a unique phenomenon, both in the number of antiquities collected in it and in their artistic merits.
Notice the magnificent building is easy. That's where the wide American soul has unfolded! The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is already striking from afar, its dimensions are colossal, and its architectural forms suggest the imperial palace. Tall columns, beautiful glazing, a magnificent staircase, fountains - all this attracts the eyes of everyone who will walk along the famous Fifth Avenue, and will certainly cause a desire to find out what is inside. And there is something to see!
Founding Fathers
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was founded in 1870. To the credit of the American financial bigwigs and Wall Street sharks, it should be noted that at that time they did not always think only about profit and cleanliness, sometimes they were visited by thoughts and that they would leave the country in which they were successful. For about two years, the joint efforts of the initiative group involved fundraising and the acquisition of works of art that formed the basis of the collection. A special corporation was even established for this purpose. Meanwhile, the main building was under construction, and in 1872 it opened its impressive doors to the first visitors.
The first exhibition consisted of 174 paintings purchased in Brussels and Paris and belonged to the brushes of famous European artists.
Natural growth
Despite its immediate scope, the New York Metropolitan Museum soon became cramped for an ever-growing collection. The exposition could expand only in one direction - to Central Park, where the building was erected with a dozen spacious halls. Over time, a single complex emerged and formed here, united by a common architectural idea. The thematic and geographical focus has changed. Despite the originally European orientation, at the beginning of the twentieth century there appeared works by American artists that adorned the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The United States began to claim serious positions not only in industry and agriculture, but also in world art. American culture, including design, interiors, sculpture of different eras, today has a separate wing, but at the same time, many exhibits from other parts of the planet occupy thematic halls.
Philanthropists and philanthropists
Charity has become the social base on which the rich exhibition is based. Patrons donated considerable funds, acquiring masterpieces around the world, whose permanent place of exposure was the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). The paintings of El Greco, Goya, Titian, Botticelli and many other famous authors adorned the treasury of culture in the twenties and thirties. Then the Portrait of Philip IV (Velazquez) and
Rembrandt’s self-portrait appeared here
.Note that not only painting is presented in this world-famous gallery, but also sculpture. The allegorical sculpture "California" was the first of them. The author, Hiram Powers, reflected in marble a continuous pursuit of luck and success. A topic very close to the Americans ...
All nations and continents
The art of different countries and peoples is unprecedentedly widely represented in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The USA can be proud that there are no eras and states that would not be reflected in the exposition. The Stone Age, the gloomy Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Mesopotamia and ancient Persia can be judged by the best examples of their art. An impressive collection of Chinese calligraphy and painting, including large canvases and miniatures made in filigree technique.
Very ancient egypt
Ancient Egypt is represented on a large scale. From this point of view, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York can only be compared with the
Cairo Museum. There are more than 36 thousand exhibits on this subject, and in order to get them and introduce them, American archaeologists have been working in the country of the pharaohs for 35 years, starting in 1906. Now these priceless artifacts occupy a place in forty galleries located chronologically, from the three hundredth (!) Millennium before the Nativity of Christ and to the fourth century relatively close to us.
There are also halls of ancient art, Ancient Rome, Greece and their colonies.
The romantic knightly era has always aroused increased interest of the inhabitants of the New World, and there is everything to satisfy it: weapons, armor, harness. Noble warriors of the East, samurai and Saracens are not ignored.
The art of the Black continent is rich and original, African crafts are represented by exotic exhibits. In addition, in the museum you can get acquainted with the life of the pre-Columbian era of America as a whole and Mexico in particular, of course, in the aspect of the highest cultural achievements.
Sumerian sculptures, relief images of Assyrian artists, vases and jewelry made of silver and gold will not leave indifferent both connoisseurs and those who came here simply out of curiosity.
Such an important part of human culture as costumes is dedicated to a separate permanent exhibition.
The halls of modern art, photography and painting of the 20th century are interesting.
Inspect all for one visit due to the wealth of the meeting is simply not possible.
How much is a visit to the Metro
Despite the comparative youth of the institution, there are not many collections in the world that are comparable or culturally superior to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The United States is a country with a fairly high average standard of living, so the price of an admission ticket (and it costs $ 25) may seem high. By our standards, it will cost students even $ 12, which is much more than is required to visit the Louvre, the Prado or the Hermitage. But if a tourist is in America, and he wants to see something other than shops, Coca-Cola and hot dogs, then such money should be found. At least then, to argue their opinion that real art is also valued in the United States.