Step inside the world's most celebrated museum - the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Located on 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side of Central Park, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest art museum in the United States, and arguably one of the world's most renowned museums. With over two million objects, it is the second most visited art museum in the world, after the Louvre Museum in Paris. The museum comprises fifteen galleries, including the Asian Art Museum, the American Art Museum, and the Hispanic Art Museum, the first museum in the United States dedicated entirely to Hispanic art.

Founded in 1870, the museum initially collected works from the private collections of businessmen and financiers. Its first curator, John Jay Knox, collected works primarily from the Dutch and French schools. The museum began moving to a more comprehensive collection of American art in the 1890s under the direction of Charles L. Avery and Frederic Remington. The museum's collection of Asian art, which had started to grow in the early 20th century, became it's most extensive in the 1920s under the influence of Hiram Powers and John Martin.

Discover iconic masterpieces like The Mona Lisa and The Winged Victory of Samothrace. Or explore the museum's collection of Egyptian antiquities, including the 3,000-year-old doughnut-shaped stone incense burner. 

The Met also has an extensive collection of Asian art, including works from the China, Japanese, and Korean galleries. And don't forget the sculpture collection - from the famed David to the much-loved Venus de Milo.

The museum has been expanding its collection of modern and contemporary art and has played an important role in introducing major American and international artists to a wider audience. In 1974, the museum opened the James A. Michener Art Museum, which features a collection of works by American writers. The museum's current director, Philippe de Montebello, was appointed in 2003.

The Met's Department of Arms and Armor is one of the museum's most popular collections because of its distinctive "parade" of armored figures on horseback installed in the first-floor Arms and Armor gallery. This collection has a focus on "outstanding craftsmanship and decoration," including pieces intended solely for display, which makes it strong in late medieval European pieces and Japanese pieces from the 5th through 19th centuries. 

Among the collection's 14,000 objects are the oldest items in the museum: flint bifaces which date to 700,000–200,000 BCE. There are also many pieces made for and used by kings and princes, including armor belonging to Henry VIII of England, Henry II of France, and Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.

With so much to see and explore, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-visit for art enthusiasts of all levels. Come and explore today!

A short cab ride to Wall St and you can explore the New York Stock Exchange