The Metropolitan Museum of Art, often just called 'The Met', opened in 1872. Its purpose was 'encouraging and developing the Study of the Fine Arts', as proclaimed in its Act of Incorporation which was championed by businessmen and intellectuals alike including the father of 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt. Since then, the Museum has successfully brought fine art to the epicenter of New York City life, with millions of visitors from around the world coming to see its collection of more than 2 million art objects presented in 17 different departments, each with its own curators and scholars. Among the many treasures stored inside the Met, there are collections of musical instruments, costumes, weapons, classical and ancient Egyptian artefacts, as well as the works of illustrious artists like Van Eyck, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Velásquez, Van Gogh, Picasso and Kandinsky.