“The Metropolitan Museum of Art is unsurpassed at presenting more than 50 centuries of work. I go there constantly, seeing things over and over, better than I've ever seen them before.” (Jerry Saltz)

Americans are rightfully proud of much of their heritage, especially as it relates to the ideas of democracy and government. The country has spread its ideals throughout the world and rose, in just two short centuries, to a place of global leadership. However, when it comes to art and culture, there’s never been any doubt how young the nation is, especially compared to much older nations across the Atlantic. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was created to assuage some of that and to show the world that America could hold its own with the leading galleries of the rest of the world.

From the beginning, the Met has been unique because unlike many European museums, the support for the sprawling New York City museum came from modern tycoons and philanthropists instead of old families with wealth and land. Like the rest of the city, the museum grew quickly, as the millionaires of New York and other cities around the nation vied to see who could donate the most paintings or objects of art. Having one’s work in the Met, or contributing to it, became something of a status symbol, a way to demonstrate prestige and importance. Having one’s name on a gallery wall or a wing of the always expanding museum could cement a legacy.

At the same time, the Met has always been a place anyone could visit. Its very charter insisted patrons be welcomed and educated by what they saw during their visits, a goal the museum has kept in focus for nearly 150 years. And while many European museums cater primarily to tourists, the Met remains something of a hometown treasure for New York City, focusing much of its attention on recognizing and balancing the city’s cultural diversity with the needs of its patrons of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds.