Allowing, photography has it's pros and cons. In a crowded museum, like MOMA, one can be overwhelmed by the masses who want a picture of themselves in front of every work on their "bucket list". And, yes sometimes a flash goes off, which is really bad for most work. Damaging flash bulbs are one of the good reasons many museums banned photography.
The Met, being large enough to rarely feel too crowded allows photography in most of it's permanent collection.
I don't take shots too often, but here's a look at some of the newly reinstalled American Wing.
Boy, it looked great! Somehow the museum was so huge, this part of the collection sort of got lost before. A few highlights.
A collection of early American art and folk art--on semi permanent loan from the troubled Museum of American Folk Art
Great Collection of Early American and early colonial Paintings
Whole room of amazing John Singer Sargent paintings
Several really important Thomas Eakins works.
A very strong display of American impressionism- Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam etc...
A strong display of works Frederic Remmington and other western artists.
A very strong selection of Augustus Saint-Gaudens sculpture.
An incredible selection of Tiffany Glass
Some great Albert Bierstadt paintings.
Many amazing Winslow Homer works.
From what I could see, the collection drops off at the start of the twentieth century and includes almost no American modernism, ashcan school or later American paintings. To a large extent, I think these are grouped in other parts of the museum.
The Whitney Museum is one of the best places to see American Modernism and regionalism. The Brooklyn Museum also is home to an amazing selection of Hudson River school, Winslow Homers and ashcan school works. Sadly, the cheesy, distracting, "educational" way this part of the collection is set up makes it hard to appreciate.
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