Metropolitan Museum Case Study

Displaying the artwork appropriately is also of utmost importance when planning a museum. The order in which pieces are displayed affects the flow of the visitor’s experience. Appropriate height for each piece requires consideration. Additionally, the ambiance and size of the room also hold specific requirements in a museum setting. The Louvre established standards in all of the above mentioned areas. When designing the Met, architects took these aspects into consideration in attempts to build the ideal space. At the Louvre, paintings in the Grand Gallery are displayed by a system of school, chronology, and by size (McClellan, 1994, p. 80). Keeping education in mind as a function of the museum, this method of classification provides …show more content…
The Louvre set the standard of how museums operate today (McClellan, 1994, p. 12). Furthermore, the Met, followed the example of the South Kensington museum since they underwent a similar start up with no building or collections. Also, flexibility is an important characteristic of a successful museum building. Keeping a museums mission is mind, they must adapt in accordance to their changing needs. While creating the ideal exhibit space, architects must address the standards set for displaying artwork. The best lighting for a museum is natural lighting. The Met designed galleries with skylights and windows ensuring proper viewing conditions. Following the lead of the Louvre, galleries at the Met are arranged with proper viewing distances, and heights. Throughout the expansions at the Met, harmony and flow determined gallery location. Minimal and appropriate room decorations also ensure that the artwork is featured and not overwhelmed and lost in a distraction space. The Louvre set standards for all of these display conventions. Creating the ideal space, was not instant. As the Louvre transitioned through various stages, so did the Met. Over a dozen architects are responsible for the Met’s impact today. It is only natural that the space evolves as the needs of the museum change. Society dictates the changes that the museum undergoes. The Met continues to grow today serving new generations of museum goers and its expanding collections (Cha, 2010). The Met holds a connection to the era in which it was created (Steffensen-Bruce, 1998). As society changes, the ideal space changes as well but some standards remain the same. Although the Met underwent many expensive and long transformations, it is currently a proud symbol for society just as the Louvre represented during the