The American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which at one time was deemed “dreary” by the collection’s chairman, has been given a facelift: four years and 100 million dollars later, the great American Wing is now open to the public.
The issue lied was not in the work itself, but rather in the somewhat formless organization of the collection. Indeed,
prior to this renovation, some paintings were hidden in that hard-to-find mezzanine while others were presented on the floor below. Visitors can now expect to see the collection en masse, moving both chronologically and thematically. The works move almost like a story within the context of history, a collection of paintings within the larger compilation of historical events.
For example, several rooms are devoted exclusively to the Civil War, the American Revolution, and the American West. Nevertheless, just as our history seems to move forward and backward, so do these galleries. With its main hall leading off into a multitude of different galleries, do not expect a pre-guided tour: these galleries are meant to be visited almost inadvertently.
What I particularly enjoyed about the renovation was its careful placement of paintings and furniture within the space. Miniature ivory portraits, for example, can be found by themselves in a small, dim room off to the side of the main hall; even the smallest of objects that were at once lost in a sea of American paintings can be rediscovered and appreciated. Other objects such as desks and chairs are placed sporadically on pedestals, as in a sculpture garden.
Of course, one could not sufficiently renovate the wing without giving the famous Washington Crossing the Delaware its spotlight. Now with a newly added gilded frame, visitors can be seen crowding around the painting or sitting on a nearby bench, appreciating both its grandeur and its magnificence. The wing now ends with a collection of works by the Ashcan school, a group of artists who were initially turned down by the Met in the early 20th century. Finally given the appropriate space it deserves, the renovated American galleries should be visited as often as any other museum highlight.