15 Pieces You Have to See at The Met 

“Washington Crossing the Delaware” (1851), Emanuel Leutze

This piece’s enormity makes it as much of a patriotic statement as its subject matter does. Leutze portrays George Washington and the Continental Army on Christmas night in 1776 readying a surprise attack on enemy troops in Trenton, NJ.

“Cow’s Skull: Red, White, and Blue” (1931), Georgia O’Keeffe

After journeying between New York and the Southwest, O’Keeffe created her own version of American art with this skull painting, deliberate in its use of red, white and blue. It was her witty response to the work of the time, when artists were searching for ways to define America.

“Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat” (1887), Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh produced many self-portraits in his lifetime; this was one of his earliest to use lighter colors and an almost pointillist technique. Van Gogh used the reverse side of an earlier peasant study, _The Potato Peeler_ (1885), which employs a darker palette.

“Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies” (1899), Claude Monet

Monet, an avid gardener, returned time and again to the subject of water lilies over his career. This image, the most clicked-on in The Met’s online collections, is one of the few vertical ones from a series focused on this footbridge.

“Madonna and Child” (ca. 1290–1300), Duccio di Buoninsegna

Credited with founding the Sienese School of painting, Duccio di Buoninsegna set the template for the depiction of religious figures in the Italian Renaissance. The painting itself is small—just 8 by 11 inches—but was purchased in 2004 for a (then) Met record: $50 million.

“The Dance Class” (1874), Edgar Degas

During the 1870s, Degas spent a lot of time at the Paris Opera house observing ballerinas in their element. This scene depicts a rehearsal at which two dozen dancers stretch, twist and await instructions from real-life ballet master Jules Perrot.

"Mobile” (1941), Alexander Calder

Born into a family of sculptors, Calder was an engineering student before switching to art. Inspired by Miró and the Dada movement, he created balanced, kinetic sculptures—such as this metal and wire one—that Marcel Duchamp dubbed “mobiles.”

“Aristotle with a Bust of Homer” (1653), Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt portrays the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, draped in rich clothing and a gold chain gifted to him by his pupil, Alexander the Great, resting his hand on a bust of Homer. The use of light suggests a physical manifestation of intellect.

“Autumn Rhythm: Number 30” (1950), Jackson Pollock

Three years into his experimentation with drip technique, Pollock executed this large-scale piece. For such paintings, he placed an unstretched canvas on the floor, onto which he dripped, poured, splashed and splattered pigment.

“Ugolino and His Sons” (1865–67), Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

This Romantic sculpture depicts a real-life incident from canto XXXIII of Dante’s _Inferno_, in which Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, his sons and grandsons are left to starve to death in a tower in Pisa by order of Archbishop Ruggieri.

Relief Panel (ca. 883–859 BC)

This large stone slab, from the Neo-Assyrian Empire, was part of a wall panel from the Northwest Palace at Nimrud (part of modern-day Iraq). The hand-carved cuneiform on the lower half lists the military achievements of Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II.

“The Attitudes of Animals in Motion” (1881), Eadweard Muybridge

Backed by a former California governor, Muybridge set out to record a galloping horse in hopes of determining whether all four hooves were off the ground at the same time. In the process of confirming the premise, he invented stop-action photography.

“Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints” (ca. 1504), Raphael  

This altarpiece, Raphael’s only one on exhibit in the United States, is emblematic of Italian Renaissance art thanks to its religious subject matter, classic form and elaborate color and detail.

“Bullfight in a Divided Ring” (1814), Francisco Goya

There’s some question of this painting’s provenance, though the subject matter and style are certainly typical of Goya, who used palette knife, rags and his fingers to apply thick coats of paint—investing his art with emotional tension.

The Temple of Dendur (10 BC)

This Egyptian temple, which dates back to when the Roman emperor Augustus ruled Egypt, was gifted to the United States in 1965 after the Army Corps of Engineers saved it from the rising waters of the Nile. The museum custom-built a gallery, complete with waterway, to showcase it.

Booking a trip to the Met soon? Use your time wisely at the Met by making sure to see these 15 Met art masterpieces. 

15 Pieces of Art You Must See at The Met | Met Art

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Visiting the museum for the first time? This stylistic cross-section of paintings, sculptures and photographs is a great place to start.

