New York Citys Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the worlds greatest cultural institutions. Its holdings encompass a vast rangeincluding paintings, sculptures, costumes, instruments, and arms and armorand span millennia, from ancient Egypt and Greece to Islamic art to European Old Masters and modern artists. How did the Met amass this trove, and what do the experiences of the people who bought, restored, catalogued, visited, and watched over these works tell us about the museum?

This book is a groundbreaking bottom-up history of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, exploring both its triumphs and its failings. Jonathan Conlin tells the stories of the people who have shaped the museumfrom curators and artists to museumgoers and security guardsand the communities that have made it their own. Highlighting inequalities of wealth, race, and gender, he exposes the hidden costs of the museums reliance on robber barons and oligarchs, the exclusionary immigration policies that influenced the foundation of the American Wing, and the obstacles faced by women curators. Drawing on extensive interviews with past and current staff, Conlin brings the story up to the present, including the museums troubled 150th anniversary in 2020. As the Met faces continued controversy, this book offers a timely account of the people behind an iconic institution and a compelling case for the museums vision of shared human creativity.