When Henry G. Marquand became president of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1890, one of the first acts was to insist that the board approve Richard Morris Hunt for architect of the new building. The old Victorian building would no longer do. 

The building was to be constructed right on 5th Ave within Central Park (see map). 

As the building stands today, many architects have worked on expansion projects including wings on either end, but the front central facade is clearly credited to Hunt. The design for this, or the idea of the design, shows similarities to an imaginary Ministry of Justice which he drew when he was studying under Lefuel’s atelier in Paris. 

By 1910, John Singer Sargent's old friend Edward Robinson became Director and through his association, the museum was able to acquire some of Sargent's most significant work 

 
Edward Robinson 
1903 
 

Notes: 

• See more on Richard Morris Hunt
• Go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art