iStock.com/JannHuizenga
With 17 curatorial departments, 2.2 million square feet of space, and more than 2 million works in its permanent collections, the Metropolitan Museum of Art colloquially known as The Met contains more treasures than most visitors will ever be able to see in a lifetime. It’s impossible to summarize the New York City museum’s history, contents, and legacy in just one list, but here are 12 facts that might make you view the storied institution in a new light.
1. The Met wasn t always enormous.
The Met which opened its doors on April 13, 1870 was founded by a group of businessmen, financiers, artists, and cultural enthusiasts. Today, it’s known for its swanky digs on Museum Mile, a swath of Fifth Avenue that borders Central Park, but the institution was originally located in a much smaller building at 681 Fifth Avenue, which housed a Roman stone sarcophagus and 174 European paintings. The Met’s collection quickly grew too large for the space, and in 187