See how The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City changed between 1911 and 2026. Drag the slider to compare the historic photograph with the modern view.
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In 1870, a group of American expatriates in Paris, led by lawyer John Jay, founded the Metropolitan Museum of Art to bring art and education to the American public. (history.com) The museum's first acquisition was a Roman sarcophagus in 1870, and by 1876, it had acquired the Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art, establishing its reputation in classical antiquities. (metmuseum.org) In 1880, the Met moved to its current location on Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street, occupying a building designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould. (metmuseum.org) The Beaux-Arts Fifth Avenue facade and Great Hall, designed by Richard Morris Hunt, opened in December 1902. (metmuseum.org) In 1938, the Met expanded with The Cloisters, a branch dedicated to medieval European art. (metmuseum.org) In 2016, the Met opened The Met Breuer, a third site for modern and contemporary art, but it closed in 2020. (metropolitan.museum) In 2026, the Met announced plans to merge with the Ronald S. Lauder Neue Galerie New York, aiming to unite significant collections of 20th-century Austrian and German art. (metmuseum.org) Today, the Met's collection spans over 5,000 years and includes more than 1.5 million works of art. (metmuseum.org)
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