The Metropolitan Museum of Art is far more than an art museum. Its incomparable collection offers a journey through over 5,000 years of human history. When it was founded in 1870 (it opened in 1872), it did not feature a single work of art, but in the last 150 years, the collection has grown to around three million objects, which are exhibited on a rotating basis. The exhibits originate from all five continents, and there is hardly a page of the human cultural heritage that is not included in the more than 200,000 square metres of exhibition space. Thus, in addition to a complete Egyptian temple and Asian armour, one can experience African weapons, Roman statues, and masters of European painting such as Jan Vermeer or Vincent van Gogh at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection is spread over three locations: the headquarters in Central Park with the Universal Museum, "The Met Cloisters" with medieval and ecclesiastical art, and the "Met Breuer" with contemporary works. The three museums attract between six and seven million visitors a year.
All of the originals of these works are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
