The Metropolitan Museum of Art, usually called the Met, is the largest art museum in the United States. It was founded in 1870 by a group of American business leaders, artists and philanthropists who wanted a national institution comparable to the great museums of Europe, and it was first opened in a building on Fifth Avenue in New York City in 1872. In 1880 it moved to its present site on the edge of Central Park. The collection now spans some five thousand years and includes Egyptian art, European paintings, Greek and Roman sculpture, arms and armor, and musical instruments. Its Temple of Dendur, a gift from Egypt, is a favorite attraction, and it has a second location at the Cloisters devoted to medieval art.
Before and after
- 27 November 1869Discovery of 11P/Tempel–Swift–LINEAR
- from 8 December 1869 to 20 October 1870First Vatican Council
- 31 December 1869Birth of Henri Matisse
- 1870Founding of Commerzbank AG
- 1870Construction of Metropolitan Museum of Art
- from c. 1870s to 1900sGilded Age
- c. 1870sPublication of God Defend New Zealand
- 7 February 1870Birth of Alfred Adler
- 22 April 1870Birth of Vladimir Lenin
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1792Publication of La Marseillaise
- 7 May 1824Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premieres
- 26 November 1865Publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- 1871The Internationale
- from 1886 to 1905Rise of Post-impressionism
- from 6 April 1896 to 15 April 18961896 Summer Olympics
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.