John Pierpont Morgan was a great entrepreneur, money magnate, philanthropist and passionate collector who built one of the largest financial empires of the United States before the crash of 1929. Just to give you a few facts, it was he who in the late 19th century agreed to the merger of Edison General Electric to the Thompson-Houston Electric Company to create the famous General Electric Company, and also funded the creation of the Federal Steel Company, which later merged with Andrew Carnegie and others to form U.S. Steel in 1901. All in all he was quite a financial shark at the time; in addition to amassing wealth, he collected manuscripts, rare printed books and illustrations, for which he built a private library. As decreed in his will, since 1924 the library has been open to the public.
As you can see, the Pierpont Morgan Library & Museum today consists of several buildings of different architectural styles. The library at number 33 on E 36 Street is the old library; a real Beaux-Arts gem designed by Charles McKim. It consists of three rooms connected by a beautiful lobby decorated with fine paintings that evoke Rafael. And you will soon discover that Pierpont Morgan was passionate about Italian Renaissance.
At the junction of this road with Madison Avenue, however, is the entrance of the current museum where further permanent collections and temporary exhibitions that we assure you are always exceptional.
Within this framework of such exquisiteness, you will find a collection of works that are as important as they are curious, including authors such as Rembrandt and Picasso on one side; Mozart and Bob Dylan on the other; and Hemingway and Dickens to boot.
The essential works not to be missed under any circumstances include the "Latin Bible" printed by Gutenberg in 1455, the pre-Babylonia cylinder seal printed with "Winged hero fighting a lion for its prey" which is almost 3,000 years old, and "Naked young man seated" by Rubens in the late 16th century, a manuscript score of a 1782 symphony by Mozart and a polychrome illustration form 1240 on whihc there are inscriptions in Latin, Persian and Hebrew. As you can see, very unique and different works form various areas.
After so much history and so much art it would be a great idea to take a break and at least a coffee and a snack at the Café Morgan. You will love it. And if you have more time and budget, book a table for lunch or dinner at the Morgan Dining Room. It is an experience.
