15 of the World’s Greatest Artworks to See at The Met in New York City

All the Masterpieces in One Place

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, fondly known as “the Met,” stands tall on New York City’s Fifth Avenue as one of the biggest and most important art museums in the world.

Started in 1870, the Met covers over 2 million square feet and holds 2 million artworks that show humanity’s creative path across 5,000 years.

The museum’s first acquisition was a Roman sarcophagus, which started its collection of ancient art.

Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat by Van Gogh (1887)

Gallery 825 (European Paintings, 19th–Early 20th Century)

Van Gogh made one of his most personal works, the “Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat,” in 1887 as one of twenty-two self-portraits while living with his brother Theo in Paris.

In Gallery 825, this small oil painting shows Van Gogh’s skill with Neo-Impressionist methods through its bright contrasts and bold brushstrokes. The back shows “The Potato Peeler,” an earlier work showing his connection to farm life. He left this masterpiece in his brother’s Paris home.

The striking background was first done in purple, though much has faded over time.

Young Woman With a Water Pitcher by Vermeer (ca. 1662)

Gallery 632 (Dutch Golden Age)

While Vermeer often painted daily Dutch life, the 45.7 x 40.6 cm “Young Woman with a Water Pitcher” is considered one of his masterworks.

This close-up scene from 1662 shows a young Dutch woman at an open window: silver-gold pitcher showing purity, a jewelry box hinting at worldly beauty, and a map suggesting connections to the world.

Marble statue of a kouros (590-580 BCE)

Gallery 621 (Spanish Baroque)

The Met’s ancient marble kouros is a life-sized statue marked the grave of a young Athenian noble in 590-580 BCE.

Standing 194.6 cm tall, this perfect figure shows the best of early Greek sculpture, mixing Egyptian styles with new Greek art. Artists carved the statue from Naxian marble, showing the perfect male form with exact measurements.

Its stiff stance, forward left foot, and arms at its sides follow the art rules of that time.

Portrait of William Duguid by Prince Demah (1773)

Prince Demah’s “Portrait of William Duguid” is the only known painting by an enslaved artist in colonial America. He signed the stretcher “Prince Demah Barnes 1773,” marking one of just three known portraits by him.

Made in 1773, this oil painting shows William Duguid, a Scottish cloth merchant in Boston, and reveals the complex social ties of colonial society. Prince Demah studied briefly in London before making this remarkable work.

After gaining freedom in 1775, he joined the Massachusetts militia, leaving behind this powerful proof of Black artistic skill in pre-revolutionary America.

Juan de Pareja by Diego Velázquez (1650)

Velázquez painted his enslaved assistant Juan de Pareja in Rome in 1650. It’s the first and earliest known portrait of a Spanish man of African descent.

Velázquez first made this as practice for painting the pope, but it found its own fame, becoming the first artwork to sell for over £1,000,000.

Four years after this portrait, Velázquez freed Pareja, who then worked as his own painter in Madrid.

Bowl with Arabic inscription (10th century)

Craftsmen in 10th century Iran turned Arabic writing into art on this fine clay bowl.

Made in Nishapur, this piece shows elegant writing that says “Planning before work protects you from regret; prosperity and peace.”

Storage jar by Dave the Potter (1858)

Dave, later known as David Drake, made this 2-ft tall storage jar in 1858 at Lewis J. Miles Pottery in Edgefield, South Carolina while he was enslaved.

The green-glazed stoneware jar has inscriptions from a time when enslaved people couldn’t legally read or write.

America Today by Thomas Hart Benton (1930-31)

Ten stunning canvas panels make up “America Today,” Benton’s big picture of 1920s American life.

Using egg paint on treated linen, Benton shows all kinds of Americans: Wall Street rich men, steel workers, party girls, and farmers.

The New School for Social Research ordered this room-sized work in 1930 and mixes different art styles like Cubism, Futurism, and German Expressionism.

Self-Portrait With Two Pupils by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1785)

This is one of the best self-portraits in French art. Made in 1785, it shows Labille-Guiard teaching two students, Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marie Marguerite Carreaux de Rosemond.

The oil painting stands over 83 inches tall and shows her at her easel in fine clothes. Back then, only four women could join the Royal Art Academy.

This painting shows how women fought to be artists.

Queen Mother pendant mask (Iyoba) (16th century)

A delicate ivory face of a strong queen mother looks out from one of the Met’s best African artworks.

Artists made this 9⅜ inches tall pendant mask in the early 1500s to honor Idia, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of Benin, known as “the only woman who went to war.”

Self-Portrait by Rembrandt (1660)

Rembrandt’s 1660 self-portrait is one of the Met’s most treasured works.

The oil painting, measuring 31 5/8 × 26 1/2 inches captures the Dutch master at age 54, during a period of financial hardship.

Jonah and the Whale folio (ca. 1400)

A masterpiece of Islamic manuscript art, the “Jonah and the Whale” folio from circa 1400 Iran measures 33.7 x 49.5 centimeters and was created with ink, opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper.

It depicts Jonah after emerging from the whale, as an angel offers him a garment beneath the protective gourd vine sent by God.

The Sun Vow by Hermon Atkins MacNeil (1899/1919)

Created in 1899 and cast in bronze in 1919, this 85.7 × 83.8 × 40 cm sculpture showcases MacNeil’s exceptional talent in the Beaux-Arts style.

The scene portrays a rite of passage as the boy aims his arrow at the sun, symbolizing strength and courage.

Celestial dancer (Devata) (mid-11th century)

From mid-1000s Central India comes this fine sandstone Celestial dancer from the Chandela time.

At 34 3/4 inches tall, this life-sized sculpture shows a heavenly dancer honoring gods.

The dancer twists gracefully, following old dance rules from the Natyasastra.

Sphinx of Hatshepsut (ca. 1479-1458 BCE)

Majestic in both scale and symbolism, the granite Sphinx of Hatshepsut is one of ancient Egypt’s most remarkable royal monuments.

It was originally one of six sphinxes at Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple in Deir el-Bahri.

How To Visit the MET in 2025: Tickets, Hours, Tours and More

The Met is located at 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York.

• Hours: Sunday–Tuesday and Thursday: 10 am–5 pm
• Extended Hours: Friday and Saturday: 10 am–9 pm
• Closed: Wednesday

New York State locals can pay what they wish and kids under 12 get in free. Adult tickets are $30 dollars each, with discounts for seniors and other visitors.