Art Review: ‘Making the Met’ at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Making the Met, 1870–2020, commemorates the 150th anniversary of, in my opinion, the unmatched giant among museums in the world today. Its collection, curators, and educational program go from strength to strength. In 1870, the Met’s founding signaled America’s cultural ascendance from provincial to international, from the sweaty work of building a nation from scratch to a time when enrichment of the mind was seen as not only possible but essential to a good life.

From the Gilded Age to the Information Age, the Met’s mission has always pivoted toward the best, in everything it does. It almost always hits the target. Yes, it’s an art museum with intimate as well as sumptuous, grand galleries, but, well beyond that, I’ve always looked at it as a university. Its pedagogical and research functions are huge. With a million moving parts, as many movers and shakers, superb art, and a history of peaks and valleys, the Met’s story is a challenge to tell.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

The new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Making the Met, 1870–2020, commemorates the 150th anniversary of, in my opinion, the unmatched giant among museums in the world today. Its collection, curators, and educational program go from strength to strength. In 1870, the Met’s founding signaled America’s cultural ascendance from provincial to international, from the sweaty work of building a nation from scratch to a time when enrichment of the mind was seen as not only possible but essential to a good life.

From the Gilded Age to the Information Age, the Met’s mission has always pivoted toward the best, in everything it does. It almost always hits the target. Yes, it’s an art museum with intimate as well as sumptuous, grand galleries, but, well beyond that, I’ve always looked at it as a university. Its pedagogical and research functions are huge. With a million moving parts, as many movers and shakers, superb art, and a history of peaks and valleys, the Met’s story is a challenge to tell.