This is a sign to many that America’s first metropolis comes to life after nearly six months of walking at a pace unknown to the pandemic.
“I am a huge fan of museums and I am absolutely excited to be here. It is a really important moment for the city, everything is starting to come back to life “Michelle Scully, 39, who was one of the first New Yorkers to return to the imposing building on Fifth Avenue, on the side of Central Park, told AFP.
New York It is “the best city in the world, and we are here, we will not leave: it will be even better than before,” he added.
With several hundred people, this Canadian-born woman stood in line from 10 in the morning, smiling with the new health rules -Mouth cover, temperature measurement and reservation- to access to see the Temple of Dendur and the treasures, from ancient Egypt to contemporary art.
“First step”
The joy was perceptible among those present at the MET, one of the most visited museums in the world.
Chris Martinetti, 34, and his wife, who came from Queens, returned to “their favorite place,” the museum where they had their first date more than five years ago.
Tracy-Ann Samuel arrived from neighboring Connecticut with her four and nine-year-old daughters, eager to once again be “surrounded by beautiful works of art,” which she considers “therapy for the soul.”
The reopening “means there is a semblance of normalcy”, said. He added: “The MET has been a part of New York history for 150 years … it’s an important first step.”
For weeks the MET saw its great European counterparts, like the Louvre, reopen its doors.
But the authorities of New York, which had a record number of more than 23,600 deaths, especially in the boreal spring, they have acted very cautiously to contain the pandemic.
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The reopening of museums has only been allowed since this week. MoMA did so on Thursday, with a capacity capped at 25%.
During this time, MET officials have taken the opportunity to learn from their colleagues and they are calm about the possibility of a “second wave” of covid-19. “We hear what is happening in other places and we know that (reopening) safely is not that difficult,” Daniel Weiss, president of the museum, told AFP.
“More inclusive”
Too there was time to adapt to the historic movement against social inequalities that has shaken the United States since the death of African-American George Floyd in late May. The museum presents a new exhibition dedicated to the artist Jacob Lawrence (1917-2000), reflecting a “more inclusive” museum with the black community, according to Weiss.
The deficit of this institution, which depends more than European museums on tickets and which was going to celebrate its 150th anniversary with a big event in April, it is, however, “very substantial”: some US $ 150 million losses in 18 months, dijo Weiss.
After the disappearance of the tourists, the museum has had to cut its expenses and lay off around 20% of its 2,000 employees. And now he will have to deal with capacity constraints for months: 7,000 to 10,000 people were expected this Saturday, against 30,000 to 40,000 on a “normal” Saturday in August. But the MET may survive, Weiss said, as “a great institution.” “I am much more concerned about the little ones,” he said.
Though some see the future bleak, seeing the exodus of thousands of wealthy New Yorkers or the collapse of business districts as signs that New York is “done”, Weiss is convinced, like many, that the city will resurface.
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From the attacks of September 11, 2001, to Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the financial crisis of 2008, “New York has been through many, many things,” he said.
“I think everyone wants to see tourists return (…) When that happens, we will be ready,” he said.
AFP
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