The Met Collection
When The Met was founded in 1870, it owned not a single work of art. Through the combined efforts of generations of curators, researchers, and collectors, our collection has grown to represent more than 5,000 years of art from across the globe—from the first cities of the ancient world to the works of our time.
A First Look
Collection Highlights
Browse collection highlights selected by curators from the Museum's seventeen curatorial departments.
Open Access Artworks
Enjoy more than 406,000 hi-res images of public-domain works from the collection, all of which can be downloaded, shared, and remixed without restriction.
Drawings and Prints at The Met
View the vast holdings of the Department of Drawings and Prints, one of the most comprehensive and distinguished of its kind in the world.
Spotlights on the Collection
American Ceramics
View nearly three hundred exquisite examples of American ceramics recently gifted to The Met by noted collector Robert A. Ellison Jr.
The Walker Evans Archive
This extraordinary archive provides rare insight into the artistic achievement of photographer Walker Evans, as well as the cultural, intellectual, and personal context of his career.
Georges Seurat
See a range of paintings and drawings in our collection by this avant-garde, Neo-Impressionist master.
Explore Related Content
MetCollects
MetCollects celebrates works of art new to the Museum's collection through the fresh eyes of photographers and the enthusiastic voices of leading scholars and artists.
Timeline of Art History
The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History pairs essays and works of art with chronologies to tell the story of art and global culture through The Met collection.
Protecting Cultural Heritage
Director Max Hollein reflects on the multiple roles of The Met and the ways in which he will help lead the Museum on issues of cultural heritage.
