Nick and The Met: Video by Noah Kalina

Last updated: May 25, 2023

My friend Noah Kalina made these beautiful video portraits of me inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2015.

My favorite museum in the whole world.
Can you find me? Standing under the golden Diana statue outside the American Wing.
Fun fact: this work of art is not a canvas but a set of instructions for how museum staff should paint the walls.
I once made a bootleg copy of “Spectrum V” by Ellsworth Kelly in my old Williamsburg apartment.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met was started around the mid-1860s.

animated GIF of a man going up the grand staircase
Me climbing up the Grand Staircase at the Met Museum.

That’s when the first idea for the Metropolitan Museum of Art came around.

The museum was started with this idea to bring art and culture to the unwashed masses.

The Asian Art wing is one of my favorite places to explore at night.

I wouldn’t consider myself an unwashed mass. But I think that connecting with the art in the museum like I had is exactly what the founders intended.

a man observing the paintings
This is one of my favorite rooms in the museum!

The Met changed my life

Despite starting Museum Hack, I’ve never taken an art history class.

There’s a semi-secret 3rd floor attached to this room!

I’ve never really been someone who regularly goes to museums.

And yet now, I went to this place in Central Park. I had this experience and it infinitely changed my life.

This sculpture was made around the year 3000 B.C. THAT IS INSANE.

So I think about that a lot.

We staged a dance party in this room once.

Photos from The Met

These are some of my favorite portraits from Noah’s video.

This used to be the “Board Room” on my old Hack the Met tours.
Me crossing the Washington Crossing the Delaware.
Fun fact: You can lay down inside most museums.

More photos

man staring up the giant statue called Bodhisattva
This room is great. Bodhisattva, from China during the Northern Qi dynasty (550-577), ca. 550-560
photo of Nick Gray outside the American Wing of The Met
Room 700, outside the American Wing, with a sculpture of Diana behind me.

Watch the Video

Conclusion

Thanks to Noah Kalina for making this awesome video and the beautiful portraits.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is still my favorite museum in the world.

More information

Special thanks to Gyl for help with the animated GIFs!

Original post: May 11, 2022 -- Last updated: May 25, 2023

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