The Metropolitan Museum in New York. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Americans like everything big, it is desirable -the greatest in the world. They do not always have it, but you can still find something. In particular, this applies to museums. They are dedicated to the most diverse aspects of life. The USA is a relatively young country and can not boast of its own ancient history, but the kindness that manifests here in relation to national artifacts deserves respect.

American museums are diverse, thematicwide. In Los Angeles there is an exposition dedicated to ... death. From the main sign of visitors calls inside a cheerful skull. There are museums of jazz musicians and rock stars, their fans from all over the world come here. The aircraft carrier "Interpid", having suffered attacks of kamikaze during the Second World War and frozen now in the eternal parking lot, itself became both an exhibit and a container of exhibits at the same time.

American Museums

Very interesting are the expositions devoted to aviation,astronautics, Indians, competitions on spitting in length, sports, painting and sculpture. Someone will want to visit exhibitions that tell of the pioneers of the wild West, circus, UFO ... America does not get tired of surprising. But the Metropolitan Museum in New York is special and quite unique. He is rightly considered the best collection of works of art and historical artifacts throughout the Western Hemisphere. With the Eastern competition is still difficult.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, USA) - the main museum of the country

The name has nothing to do with the subway,type of public transport (here his name is subway). It comes from the word "metropolis", that is, the main city. New York - "Big Apple", but not the capital. Nevertheless, it is possible to forgive some exaggeration of the importance of this megalopolis, especially considering that the New York Metropolitan Museum is really a unique phenomenon, both in terms of the number of antiquities collected in it and their artistic merits.

Notice the majestic building is not difficult. That's where the wide American soul unfolded! The Metropolitan Museum in New York amazes already from a distance, its dimensions are enormous, and the architectural forms suggest thoughts about the imperial palace. High columns, beautiful glazing, a luxurious staircase, fountains - all this attracts the eyes of everyone who will pass along the famous Fifth Avenue, and will certainly cause a desire to know what is inside. And there is something to see!

Founding Fathers

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City was founded in 1870year. To the credit of American financial tycoons and Wall Street sharks, it should be noted that not always they thought only of profit and clean-up at the time, sometimes they were visited by thoughts and that they would leave the country in which they achieved success. For about two years, the joint efforts of the initiative group involved the collection of funds and the acquisition of works of art, which formed the basis of the collection. For this purpose, a special corporation was even established. Meanwhile, the main building was built, and in 1872 it opened its impressive doors for the first visitors.

The first exposition consisted of 174 paintings acquired in Brussels and Paris and belonged to the brushes of famous European artists.

Natural growth

Despite the immediately set scope, the museumThe Metropolitan in New York soon found itself tight for an ever-growing collection. Expanded exposure could only one way - in Central Park, where it was erected a building with a dozen spacious halls. Over time, a single complex emerged and formed, united by a common architectural idea. Thematic and geographical focus has changed. Despite the original European orientation, in the early twentieth century, there were works by American artists who decorated the Metropolitan Museum. 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, is now allocated a separate wing, but at the same time, many exhibits from other corners of the world are occupied by thematic halls.

Philanthropists and philanthropists

Charity has become that social base,on which a rich exposition is based. Patrons donated a lot of money, acquiring worldwide masterpieces, a permanent place of exposure which became the Metropolitan Museum (New York). The paintings of El Greco, Goya, Titian, Botticelli and many other famous authors have adorned the treasury of culture in the twenties and thirties. Then there appeared "Portrait of Philip IV" (Velasquez) and a self-portrait of Rembrandt.

Note that not only painting is represented inthis world-famous gallery, but also a sculpture. Allegorical sculpture "California" was the first of them. The author, Hiram Powers, in the marble reflected the continuous pursuit of success and success. A topic very close to the Americans ...

All peoples and continents

The art of different countries and peoples is unprecedentedis widely represented in the Metropolitan Museum. The USA can be proud of the fact that there are no such epochs and states that would not be reflected in the exposition. About the Stone Age, the gloomy Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Mesopotamia and ancient Persia can be judged by the best examples of their art. Impressive collection of Chinese calligraphy and painting, which includes both large paintings and miniatures executed in filigree technique.

Very ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt is represented very large. From this point of view, the Metropolitan Museum in New York can only be compared to the Cairo Museum. Exhibits on this subject more than 36 thousand, and in order to obtain and present them, American archaeologists have worked in the country of the pharaohs for 35 years, since 1906. Now these priceless artifacts take up space in forty galleries, chronologically located, from the 300th (!) Millennium BC to the fourth century that was relatively close to us.

There are also halls of ancient art, Ancient Rome, Greece and their colonies.

The romantic knightly epoch always causedthe increased interest of the inhabitants of the New World, and here there is everything to satisfy it: weapons, armor, harness. Not ignored and noble warriors of the East, samurai and Saracens.

The rich and original art of the Black continent,African crafts are represented by exotic exhibits. In addition, the museum can see the life of the pre-Columbian era of America in general and Mexico in particular, of course, in terms 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 the universal culture, like costumes, is dedicated to a separate permanent exposition.

Interesting halls of contemporary art, photography and painting of the XX century.

It is simply not possible to inspect everything for one visit due to the richness of the meeting.

How much does a visit to the Underground

Despite the comparative youth of the aforementionedthere are not many collections in the world that are comparable or superior to the Metropolitan Museum of Culture. The USA is a country with a fairly high average standard of living, so the price for an admission ticket (and it costs $ 25) may seem high. Even for students, it will cost by our standards not cheap, at $ 12, which is much more than it takes to visit the Louvre, the Prado or the Hermitage. But if there was a tourist in America, and he wants to see something other than shops, Coca-Cola and hot dogs, then such money should be found. At least later, to argue his opinion that the real art is appreciated in the United States.