The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in New York and at the same time one of the largest museum complexes in the world. Each year it receives more than 6 million visitors. The Union League Club of New York founded the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1870 by a group of businessmen and art lovers. Now it has one of the world’s finest collections of art, which has led the museum to the title of the most popular tourist destination in New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a separate city-state from the culture, the collection contains two million exhibits and monetary contributions each year exceed $120 million. The museum is more than 18 hectares in size. The main difference between the Metropolitan Museum of Art and others is the source of its funding: most of the funds for its development and maintenance come not from the state, but from patrons and sponsors.

The museum has 17 departments that are divided by continental location and historical periods. The departments of ancient Rome and ancient Greece, ancient Egypt, Africa, China and Japan, Europe and separately Medieval, in addition to these there are many others. In addition to these 17 permanent exhibitions, there are about ten other non-permanent ones that change from time to time. On the roof of the museum there is a wonderful terrace with a bar for tourists. In the summer, there is a wonderful view. And now back to the museum’s exhibits. One of the most fantastic halls is the Assyrian, there are large winged bulls, which 3000 years ago guarded the entrance to the throne room of King Ashurnasirpal II. Separate rooms are dedicated to a rich collection of musical instruments brought in from around the world, there are now about 4,000 pieces (the Beatles’ instruments are kept here).

In the 70 years since it opened, the exhibition has grown so much that it resembles a separate museum in size; both ancient and medieval musical instruments can be seen in the halls. The core of the entire museum is made up of three private collections, including the John Kensett collection of 38 paintings by famous artists. In addition to paintings, the museum displays the work of photographers Diane Arbus, Walker Evans and others. Once a year, the museum publishes a credible report describing new acquisitions. Each exhibit has an appropriate plaque; in addition to the title, author and donor’s names, it contains some interesting fact about the work of art in question.

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, there is a very peculiar payment system for admission tickets: the price seems to be, but you can get into the exhibition for any price, even if it is one coin of any value. On occasion, there is an opportunity to get in for free, you just have to ask for an admission ticket. Alas, this applies only to residents of New York State and students from Connecticut, New York and Jersey. For 7 USD, you can use the audio guide – but it is not yet available in Russian. But at the information desk, you can get a plan of the museum in Russian – easily recognized by Repin’s portrait of the writer Garshin. When planning your visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, expect crowds of visitors, as lines are usually very long. If you want to see everything, you have to visit the museum every day for a week. The exhibits can be photographed without flash or a tripod, but no videos are allowed.