The Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue in New York City is home to one of the largest art collections in the world. It is easy to be overwhelmed on a visit, so if you only have a limited amount of time, what are some famous painting to see at The Met? What are the essential highlights that belong on a must-see list?
While we don’t claim to be art experts, we definitely do have our favorites that we just love to see, over and over again, when visiting The Metropolitan Museum of Art. These are famous art works that simply entice and enthral, and that we never get tired of viewing.
We know that it can be hard to navigate through The Met, particularly for first time visitors. That’s why we recommend to focus in on famous paintings that you must-see while at The Met.
Adopting this strategy not only allows you to make sure that you do not miss out on anything, but it also helps you to conserve energy. After all, walking around aimlessly for hours at The Met can leave you with not only tired feet but museum fatigue that prevents you from enjoying the art.
Overview of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Before we dive into the famous paintings to see at The Met, it would be useful to get an overview of the art museum and how it is organized. This will put you in a better position to plan out your itinerary and navigate your way through the museum.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection has over 1.5 million pieces of art and these come from a period of over 5,000 years. Even though not everything is on display, you can imagine why a visit to the museum can be an overload of art.
The entrance to The Met is at the junction of 5th Avenue and 82 Street. As you enter in, you will find yourself in The Great Hall on Floor 1.
To the right is the Egyptian wing with mummies. Straight ahead is the Medieval Art from Europe. To the left is Greek and Roman Art.
If you were to go up to Floor 2, you will European Paintings from 1250 to 1800 straight ahead from the Great Hall. On the left, down a long corridor are the 19th and Early 20th Century European Paintings. To the right of the of the European Paintings 1250 to 1800 section is The American Wing.
There are many, many other galleries within The Met but this will give you a broad picture to navigate your way around to look for the famous painting in The Met.
Famous Paintings at The Met
Here are some of the famous painting in The Met that you should not miss out on.
The Death of Socrates, 1787 by Jacques Louis David
The Death of Socrates is a neoclassical painting from just before the French Revolution. The painter took up a classical story of resisting unjust authority in this painting. It depicts Greek philosopher Socrates (469 to 399 BCE) who was convicted of impiety by the Athenian courts. Instead of renouncing his beliefs, he died willingly by drinking poisonous hemlock. At the foot of the bed, he included Plato. Even though Plato was not present at Socrates’s death, he was included as he was the one who had recorded this ancient story.
View The Death of Socrates by Jacques Louis David at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 634.
Young Woman with a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer
Young Woman with a Water Pitcher was first work by Vermeer to enter an American collection. The painting dates back to around the 1660s and highlights the artist’s interest in domestic themes. It provides a glimpse into the private life of a woman as she gets ready for the rest of the day. There are sighs of wealth with the jewelry box and gold trimming. The colors are limited to the primary colors giving it a sense of balance and tranquility. This suits the scene during a period when it was the most prosperous in Dutch history. Look at the light coming in through the window and shining off the woman’s arm.
View Young Woman with a Water Pitcher by Johannes Vermeer at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 614.
Self-Portrait, 1660 by Rembrandt
Rembrandt stands apart from other artists for his numerous self-portraits. Roughly forty self-portraits by him survive today. This famous painting at The Met was painted when Rembrandt was fifty-four. By then he had lost his wife and child and was forced to declare bankruptcy. The painting depicts the signs of aging in his own face. Surprisingly, there was a large demand for his self-portraits. This picture shows the directness of his painting style and depiction.
View Self-Portrait, 1660 by Rembrandt at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 616.
Modern Rome, 1757 by Giovanni Paolo Panini
Modern Rome is a complementary art work to Ancient Rome that is on view to the left of the painting, across the doorway. It showcases some of Rome’s most famous monuments from the two centuries prior to the execution of these paintings. The artworks condense the must-see sights of the city. Seated in an armchair is duc de Choiseul, ambassador to Rome from 1753 to 1757.
Modern Rome, 1757 by Giovanni Paolo Panini can be viewed at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 627.
Wheat Field with Cypresses, 1889 by Vincent van Gogh
One of our favorite Vincent van Gogh works is Wheat Field with Cypresses. It was painted in late June 1889 in Saint-Remy. You can have a close look at the impasto on the painting and admire its composition. It was regarded by Van Gogh as one of his best summer landscapes and when you pause to look at it, you can see why.
View Wheat Field with Cypresses by Vincent van Gogh at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 822.
Irises, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh
Irises was part of a series of four spring flowers that Vincent van Gogh painted just before he checked himself out of the asylum at Saint-Rémy. This was a part of the only series of still life that he painted by while at Saint-Rémy. The painting features the blue irises against a pink background. However, the background has faded over time. The painting was owned by Vincent van Gogh’s mother until her death in 1907.
View Irises, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 825.
Roses, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh may be well known for his irises but Roses is a captivating work too. This was painted in 1890, also at the asylum at Saint Remy. The painting has traces of pink in the flowers in the bouquet in a green vase. The painting also has an interesting history. It was stolen by Nazis in 1939 in Essen, after its owner Georg Simon Hirschland (1885–1942) emigrated to the United States. It was only in 1950 that the picture was returned to Hirschland’s heirs.
View Roses, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 822.
Water Lilies, 1919 by Claude Monet
Water Lilies was painted by Monet when he was almost 80 years old in 1919. It is one of Monet’s late paintings. These are almost abstract in nature. The Water Lilies almost looks like it was painted through a window. It almost as if he is messing up the paint and it forces viewers to get upclose to have a look at how it was done.
View Water Lilies, 1919 by Claude Monet at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 822.
Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, 1887 by Vincent van Gogh
Another famous painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue is Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat. While in Paris for two years from 1886 to 1888, Van Gogh projected more than 20 self portraits. He would use himself as the model in order to improve his skills as a figure painter. Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat is an oil on canvas work that shows his mastery of Neo-Impressionist techniques and color theory. It shows the contrast between his straw hat and the blues of his coat. It is a double sided work with The Potato Peeler on the reverse. It has a back story literally and the difference between the front and back works, which were painted only two years apart, shows what a transformative time it was for van Gogh and how he evolved as a painter.
Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat, 1887 by Vincent van Gogh and The Potato Peeler at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 825.
Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley by Paul Cézanne
This work by Paul Cézanne was painted from the top of a hill behind his sister’s property. This was a familiar scene to the painter since the childhood. It shows the silhouette of Mont Saint-Victoire above the Arc River valley. In this work, Paul Cézanne was aiming to showcase the geometry of nature. The single tree at the at first looks rather awkward, cutting the painting in half. However, this was deliberate as it was to show the geometry of nature with the branch sloping downwards echoing the slow of Mont Sainte-Victoire.
View Mont Sainte-Victoire and the Viaduct of the Arc River Valley by Paul Cézanne at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 826.
The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro
The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro was done by the painter after he had spent six year in rural Eragny. The view that he painted from from his Paris hotel in 1897. From the Grand Hôtel de Russie, he could see down the boulevard with all the hustle and bustle going on beneath.
View The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 820.
The Dance Class by Edgar Degas
Edgar Degas was devoted to painting dancers. The Dance Class shows an imaginary scene of a dancer executing a position while in a rehearsal room at the old Paris Opera. Look closely and you will see that on the wall beside the mirror, there is poster for Rossini’s Guillaume Tell. This pays tribute to the singer Jean-Baptiste Faure who had commissioned the picture.
View The Dance Class by Edgar Degas at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 815.
The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer
Okay. This isn’t a painting but The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer is one of Edgar Degas most famous statues of a ballerina. The original statue was exhibited in 1881 at the 6th Impressionist exhibition in Paris where it was greeted with outrage. This was because Degas refused to idealise his models.
The original sculpture was the largest of the wax models that he had made. The one at The Met was cast in bronze in 1922 and marked A because it was part of the first set. The model for the sculpture was the young Marie van Goethem who was a student at the École de Danse. She later became a professional dancer at the Paris Opéra. The bronze statue has a tinted bodice, a tutu made of cotton, and a hair ribbon of satin to replicate the appearance of the original wax model.
View The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 815.
Island of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin
Island of the Dead is an oil on wood painting what was done in 1880. It was commissioned this painting in 1880 by Marie Berna as a memorial to her late husband. At one time, the painting was so popular that it was found in almost every home in Germany. Arnold Böcklin took inspiration from nature but transformed what he saw to an imaginary setting with deeper meaning. It appealed to the late 19th century fascination with death. The cliffs and the boat appear dramatically spot lit, giving it a theatrical quality that allows the viewer to project themselves into painting.
View Island of the Dead by Arnold Böcklin at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800.
Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851 by Emanuel Leutze
Immensely huge, German American Leutze’s depiction of Washington’s attack on the Hessians at Trenton on December 25, 1776, was well received in America and in Germany. It shows him crossing the river with concentration and will providing the will to attack the Hessian mercenary. The painting contains the inaccuracies like the boats going in the wrong direction and that were no horses or artillery in the actual boat. Yet the painting gained popular success. It first apeared in America in 1851. It is due to its monumental capturing of a moment in American history and mythological nation making.
View Washington Crossing the Delaware, 1851 by Emanuel Leutze German American at the American Wing at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 760.
Planning a visit to The Met? You may be interested to read about The Met’s bag policy and you must make it a point to view the Temple of Dendur. You may also enjoy this story on famous paintings that you must see at the Museum of Modern Art.
