Is the Met the Museum of Modern Art?

Art|Art Museum

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as the Met, is one of the most renowned museums in the world. Located in New York City, the Met is the largest art museum in the United States and is home to over two million works of art. The museum’s collections span thousands of years, including European paintings, African sculptures, and ancient Greek artifacts.

The Met’s mission is to “collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality”. This mission is reflected in its expansive collections which span a range of cultures and eras.

While many people know the Met as a traditional art museum with a focus on historic artifacts and artwork from previous centuries, it also houses a significant collection dedicated to modern art.

From its founding in 1870 until 1968 when it opened its first contemporary galleries, modern works were integrated into existing galleries. Since then, there has been an increased focus on showing modern and contemporary works from around the world.

The Met has long been at the forefront for showing cutting edge work from international artists across all mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, film/video installations, performance pieces and more. In addition to galleries dedicated to contemporary works from specific regions or countries such as Asia or Latin America/Caribbean Art; there are also galleries dedicated specifically to post-war American art as well as abstract expressionists like Mark Rothko or Jackson Pollock.

Conclusion:

The Met is much more than just a traditional museum dedicated to historic artifacts; it is an internationally renowned institution that celebrates art from across all eras and cultures including modern and contemporary works from around the world. With its expansive collections spanning multiple mediums and genres; it can be considered a Museum of Modern Art.