Description
Many locals shuddered in anger in summer 2006, when the Met announced that its suggested fee would be jumping up to $20. We say, chill out – it’s only a suggested amount, after all. And thank heavens it is, since it would take many, many visits to cover all of the Met’s 2 million sq ft of gallery space. Besides the enthralling temporary exhibitions, there are excellent collections of African, Oceanic and Islamic art, along with more than 3,000 European paintings from the Middle Ages up to the fin-de-siècle period, including major works by Titian, Brueghel, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya and Degas, as well as the controversial Madonna and Child (stop by and decide whether you think the $45 million piece is the handiwork of medieval master Duccio, or some latter-day forger, as one historian recently claimed). Egyptology fans should head straight for the glass-walled atrium housing the Temple of Dendur. The Greek and Roman halls reopened in 2007 after receiving an elegant makeover, and the incomparable medieval armour collection – a huge favourite with adults and children – was recently enriched by gifts of European, North American, Japanese and also Islamic armaments. The Met has also made significant additions to its modern-art galleries, including major works by American artist Eric Fischl and Chilean surrealist Roberto Matta. Contemporary sculptures are displayed each year in the Iris and B Gerald Cantor Roof Garden (May to late autumn, weather permitting). If you’re in town for a long holiday weekend, don’t despair. The Met opens its doors on Monday holidays, including Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day, and the Monday between Christmas and New Year’s Day. A large, round desk in the Great Hall (staffed by volunteers who speak multiple languages) is the hub of the museum’s excellent visitors’ resources (foreign-language tours are available; call 212-570-3711 for information). Once you’ve had an eyeful of the type of art that interests you most, from Greek kouroi to colourful Kandinskys, we recommend making the most of the Met’s various tranquil spots. The Engelhard Court, which borders Central Park, has benches, a trickling fountain, trees, ivy and stunning examples of Tiffany stained-glass to encourage contemplation. (And if you’d like to grab a drink or a snack in less-than-hectic surroundings, try the recently opened American Wing Café.) Astor Court, on the second floor, is a garden modelled on a Ming dynasty scholar’s courtyard. Wooden paths border a naturally lit, gravel-paved atrium. The nearby Asian galleries, full of superb bronzes, ceramics and rare wooden Buddhist images, seldom get heavy foot-traffic. At the western end of the museum, rest on a bench in the Robert Lehman Wing, then commune with Botticelli’s Annunciation. For the Cloisters, which houses the Met’s permanent medieval art collection.