 | | |  |  |  | | OPENING TODAY | Through September 27, 2026
The Met Fifth Avenue | From clapping hands and tapping feet to beatboxing and whistling, the human body is a musical instrument. Musical instruments, in turn, often draw their form and decoration from our bodies. Around the world and across time, instruments emerge as powerful vehicles that represent our voices, actions, and identity not only in music but throughout the visual arts, literature, religion, pop culture, and mythology.
Musical Bodies is the first major exhibition to explore the relationship between musical instruments and the body by bringing together some 130 instruments, paintings, sculptures, drawings, and more to illuminate how we express who we are, what we value, and what we believe. With works from The Met collection and institutions and collectors around the world, the exhibition explores 4,000 years of art and music history, from ancient Egyptian rattles and musical masterpieces by Titian and Degas to instrument-inspired apparel and one of Prince's most notable guitars. Musical Bodies will resonate with visitors of all ages, whether you are a musician, a devoted listener, or simply curious about human expression. | | Learn more → | | Exhibition Highlights |  | | Costume Art | Through January 10, 2027
The Met Fifth Avenue | | | | | | | | See all current exhibitions → | | Featured Event |  | | Date Night—Pride | Friday, June 12, 5–8 pm
Various locations, Floors 1 and 2, The Met Fifth Avenue
Celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month at The Met! Join us for an evening of art, music, and community. Enjoy two-for-one drinks, strike a pose at a pop-up photo lounge, dance to live music, make art or participate in performances, join a gallery talk, add your voice to a collaborative mural, and more. Plus, connect with local LGBTQIA+ organizations across New York City.
Presented in celebration of LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
Everyone is welcome—whether you're coming with a date, a friend, or on your own.
All events are free with Museum admission, which is always pay-what-you-wish for New Yorkers. Beverages are available for purchase. Enjoy our 2-for-1 Date Night drink special.
Learn more → | | The Met Store |  | | | | Plan Your Visit | See the Plan Your Visit page for more information about buying tickets in advance. Please note our current opening days and hours for each location.
Read our visitor guidelines. | Buy your tickets now →
Membership → | | For more information on the exhibitions, including sponsorship credits, visit Musical Bodies, Raphael: Sublime Poetry, Gothic by Design: The Dawn of Architectural Draftsmanship, Independence and Identity: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints, Creatures of Myth and Imagination: Europe and the Americas, Costume Art, and The Face of Life: Modern Portraits at The Met.
For a full list of education program funders, please visit metmuseum.org/educationfundingsupport.
Images: Thomas Zach, Violino Harpa Forma Maxima, 1874. Wood (spruce, maple, ebony), metal strings. Collections Musée de la musique / Cliché Claude Germain, 2020. Cité de la musique-Philharmonie de Paris | Photos by Argenis Apolinario | Raphael (Raffaello di Giovanni Santi), The Virgin and Child with Infant Saint John the Baptist in a Landscape (The Alba Madonna) (detail), ca. 1509–11. Oil on canvas (transferred from wood). National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.24 | Possibly by Wenzel Roriczer (German, born Bohemia, died 1419). Design for the Entrance Portal of Regensburg Cathedral (detail), ca. 1390–1410. Pen and black ink, over blind ruling with stylus, guided by compass and straightedge, on parchment, Sheet: 53 3/16 × 22 3/8 in. (135.1 × 56.9 cm). Kupferstichkabinett, Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien (HZ-16871r) | Willem van den Berg (Dutch, The Hague 1886–1970 Amsterdam). Scheveningen Fisherwoman (detail), 1932. Black and colored chalk on paper. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 2026 | Tairona artist(s), Figure Pendant, Colombia, 900–1600 CE. Gold. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Jan Mitchell and Sons Collection, Gift of Jan Mitchell, 1991 (1991.419.31) | Assemblage: Ensemble, John Galliano for Maison Margiela, autumn/winter 2020–21 haute couture. Courtesy of Maison Margiela; The Veiled Woman, Rafaelle Monti, 1854. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Gift of Annie Brinkmann, 1887 (87.7) Artwork by Julie Wolfe. | Henri Matisse, Young Sailor II (detail), 1906. Oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Jacques and Natasha Gelman Collection, 1998 | | | | |
