The Metropolitan Spirit
Metropolitan Museum
The halls of ancient stones and galleries of historic paintings at The Metropolitan Museum breathe life and joy to visitors from around the world. The museum, located on 5th Avenue and 82nd Street, is open Sunday - Thursday 10 - 5:15 and Friday and Saturday 10 - 8:45.
The Great Hall
The Great Hall of the Metropolitan Museum is one of great interior spaces in New York City, surpassed only by the Main Concourse in Grand Central Station. Particularly noteworthy are the gracious monumental flower arrangements.
The Greek Galleries
Turn left from the Great Hall into the Greek Galleries. Few walks lift the spirit quite as much as the thrilling stroll into sky lit Greek Grand Gallery. The Greek and Roman galleries still radiate from the Metropolitan’s spectacular renovations at the turn of the 21st century, especially the restoration of the central ceiling and the exquisite presentation of the art work with brilliant lighting and background colors.
The presentation of the objects follow the flow of history from Archaic to Classical to Hellenistic to Roman. Many more Greek works are displayed in the mezzanine up the stairs near the massive Corinthian column between the Greek Galleries and the Roman Court. Further up the stairs on the second floor are the magnificent Cesnola Cypriot Galleries, less renowned perhaps, but among the most beautifully presented rooms in the museum.
The Roman Court
Beyond the massive Corinthian column is the lovely Roman Court, rich with sculptures and fresco paintings.
The Roman Court is particularly delightful during the quiet hours after 7 p.m. when the museum is open late on Friday and Saturday nights.
Old Master Paintings:
14th — 18th Centuries
From the Great Hall ascend the Great Staircase and go though the glass doors to the Old Master European Painting Galleries of Italian, Spanish, Dutch, German, French, and English masterpieces.
On display are works by Giotto, Titian, El Greco, Tintoretto, Veronese, Velasquez, Goya, Van Dyck, Rubens, Vermeer, Rembrandt, Durer, Boucher, Fragonard, Watteau, Reynolds, Constable, and Gainsborough.
19th Century
European Paintings
Ascend the Great Staircase and take a quick left, walking through the long corridor of Drawings to the 19th Century European Paintings.
Here are many of the most famous masterpieces by the most beloved painters of the 19th century: Delacroix, Turner, Corot, Courbet, Manet, Cezanne, Degas, Pisarro, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, and Gauguin.
About Us
Celebrating the culture and life of New York and the people who have relished the city in their work and in their lives.
Walks
Some of the most magical walks in New York begin at Cedar Hill in Central Park near 5th Av. and 79th St.
Bandshell
Classical Music Concerts have been presented at the Bandshell in Central Park since 1905 as described by E. B. White in Here is New York.
Writers
E. B. White and Paul Goldberger stand with F. Scott Fitzgerald as perhaps the most enchanting writers of New York.
Women of the
Beat Generation
In the 50's a few high spirited women haunted the Beat cafes in Greenwich Village and went on to live as ex-pats in Paris.
The Streets of Rome
The Metropolitan Spirit of the Eternal City is evoked in Bob Dylan's “When I Paint My Masterpiece.”
September 11
In the days after September 11 thousands of flyers and bulletins went up in public places around New York City.
Metropolitan Spirit
F. Scott Fitzgerald recalls his experience of New York, defining the Metropolitan Spirit and his three symbols of the city.
The Jazz Age
Fitzgerald reveals how sudden good fortune, flappers, and the midnight frolic belied the secrets of the Jazz Age.
The Roaring Twenties
Fitzgerald recalls how the uncertainties of the 1920’s were drowned in a steady, golden roar.
