The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is one of the premier art institutions in the world.
But with tens of thousands of works of art on display at any given time and two million square feet of exhibition space, it can be difficult to choose which works of art to seek out. In fact, it seems like you could spend days inside the museum and still not see everything.
Christine Kuan, the chief curator at Artsy, selected 15 must-see works of art at the Met.
"The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a treasure trove of masterpieces from every culture, time period, and medium, so choosing a mere fifteen is almost impossible," Kuan said. "The ones shown here are personal favorites — they stun me with their beauty, imagination, and power. More than just exceptional works of artistic achievement, these objects also demonstrate what human civilization can produce at its best."
Kuan also provided descriptions of these works, and told us why she thinks they're so important.
"The Harvesters" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder. "One of the never-ending delights of Pieter Bruegel the Elder is his depiction of everyday Netherlandish life. You can bask in every detail of the peasants enjoying a delicious picnic at the end of a day of hard labor in the golden fields."
Rodarte ensemble (2004) on view in The Costume Institute from May 9 to August 14. "This Rodarte knit dress captures that feeling of rebellion and sexiness that ground-breaking fashion designers inspire in all of us. The Met’s Costume Institute is one of the most important costume collections in the world and continues to wow us each year with spectacular exhibitions (and parties!)."
Fragment of a Queen's Face (ca. 1353–1336 B.C.). "Of all the extraordinary objects in the Met’s Egyptian collection, this fragment of a queen’s face blows me away with its exquisite and sensuous modeling. The yellow jasper seems as palpable as flesh and the sculpture is as modern as a Brancusi."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider