Why the Metropolitan Museum of Art is special
International art experts consider the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, USA to be one of the world's two greatest all-around art museums (the other being the Louvre).

Art treasures galore
The Metropolitan Museum's masterpieces cover a 5000-year span. Presentation is excellent - most artworks are positioned and lit skillfully to maximize viewer appreciation.
As expected, the Metropolitan Museum houses the preeminent collection of American art. The celebrated artists include Eakins, Homer, Remington, Sargent and Tiffany.
However, it's in European art that the Metropolitan Museum excels the most. You can view an extensive number of European masterpieces including those by Botticelli, Breugel, Cezanne, Degas, Gauguin, El Greco, Manet, Monet, Rembrandt, Rubens, Van Gogh, Velazquez and Vermeer (see above picture for his "Young Woman with a Water Jug").
The Greek, Roman and Egyptian art collections in the Metropolitan Museum are also widely heralded, as are those on African, Chinese and Japanese art. Outstanding object-theme exhibits include arms & armor, costumes and musical instruments.

Allow sufficient time
You could easily spend several days exploring the vast and varied Metropolitan Museum.

What leading travel books say about the Metropolitan Museum
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is New York's single most popular attraction. It receives about 5 million annual visitors.
USA
Lonely Planet Guides

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's all-embracing collections amount to over three million works of art.
USA
Rough Guides