Commune with Artists and Ancient Civilizations
Jet-setting art lovers will want to add this list of the world’s best museums to their cultural bucket list immediately. Apart from having some of the greatest artistic and cultural masterpieces in existence, these institutions are also some of the largest and mos- visited museums around.
While the majority of art museums mentioned are located in the United States and Western Europe, Russia and the Middle East have representation as well. No matter what time period or type of art you’re interested in, you’ll find works of art to connect with in these nine best museums.
The Louvre
Seeing as it’s home to the most well-known piece of art in the world, it’s only natural that the Louvre is the largest and most-visited museum in the world. While visitors flock to see the “Mona Lisa,” and other European masterworks, the museum also houses a vast 38,000-piece collection of paintings, sculptures, decorative art, prints and drawings.
From ancient Egyptian jewelry to ancient Greek and Roman sculptures to Islamic and Near East artifacts, the Louvre has pieces dating back as far as 6,900 BC. Even if you get tired of looking at all the art, the building itself is worth admiring, as are the glass pyramids in the middle of the main courtyard.
The Art Institute of Chicago
Consistently ranking as one of the top museums by travelers on TripAdvisor, The Art Institute of Chicago has an impressive collection of American, European, African and Asian art. Recently, the museum received a $400 million pop art collection that will become part of their permanent collection.
Many famous works of art have found a home here such as Grant Wood’s “American Gothic,” the often parodied “Nighthawks” by Edward Hopper, and Mary Cassatt’s “The Child’s Bath.” You’ll also find paintings by the likes of Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir and van Gogh among others.
If you’re looking for free attractions in Chicago, look out for free museum days at the Art Institute — they’re a great opportunity to experience this notable collection of art.
Interestingly, the Art Institute of Chicago has partnered with Chicago Line Cruises — they offer an Eco Boat Cruise down the Chicago River that explores the ecological issues facing the area.
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The National Gallery, London
Located in Central London, the National Gallery displays paintings from medieval times up until the early 20th century. Its collection focuses on European masters such as Monet, Caravaggio and Michelangelo, showcasing the evolution of different art schools in Europe, from the realists to the impressionists.
Since the museum was started by the government to enrich the public’s appreciation of art, the National Gallery remains free of charge. Its close proximity to other popular attractions has also earned it a reputation as one of the best and most-visited museums in London.
State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace
As St. Petersburg’s biggest tourist attraction, the State Hermitage Museum and Winter Palace attracts over 4 million people every year who are eager to explore the 15 miles worth of exhibition space and galleries. With over 3 million unique items on display, you could spend months admiring the art and never see it all.
Guided tours are the best way to see the museum, which will cover the most popular paintings and architectural highlights. Don’t miss the Knight Hall filled with armor from the Middle Ages or the lavish Malachite Room that once belonged to an empress. Countless jeweled treasures fill the galleries, but the real gems are the two Da Vinci paintings and a sculpture by Michelangelo.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York has a ton of world-renowned art museums, but none more famous than the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also considered one of the top museums in the world. While it has its share of European masters and Egyptian curiosities, the Met also has an elaborate collection of antique weapons, musical instruments and costumes.
Open for nearly 150 years, the museum has expanded into two additional campuses besides its main Central Park location — one site houses its medieval art collection and the other its modern and contemporary works. Aside from having rotating exhibitions featuring well known artists, the Met Gala also attracts the rich and famous for the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.
The Empty Met Tour is also one of the best tours in New York City you can take, allowing you to peruse the museum before it opens.
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Prado National Museum
As you might expect, Madrid’s Prado National Museum has the most extensive collection of Spanish art in the world. Formerly a private royal museum for Spanish monarchs in the 18th and 19th centuries, the Prado now has over 2,300 paintings in addition to drawings, sculptures and decorative arts.
The majority of the art found in the Prado National Museum focuses on religious imagery due to Spain’s Catholic tradition. However, politics also play a big part in the work of painters such as Francisco Goya, who happens to have the most pieces on display there. Along with the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum and the Museo Reina Sofía, the Prado is part of the Golden Triangle of Art, the biggest cultural attraction in Madrid and all of Spain.
The Vatican Museums
Religion has always been a popular subject in art and much of the history of Catholicism has been contained in paintings and sculptures. Since the 16th century, Italian popes have been collecting and displaying the best pieces of religious art they could find.
In the Vatican Museums you’ll find work by Italian artists such as Raphael, Caravaggio and Michelangelo, including the latter’s most famous fresco painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Egyptian and Greek artifacts depicting their own ancient religions are also prevalent in some of the newer museums.
You can even get a fresh perspective on spirituality in the Collection of Modern Religious Art with pieces by van Gogh, Gauguin, Dali and Picasso.
Rijksmuseum
Dutch artists are heavily featured in the Netherlands Rijksmuseum, or the National Museum, located in Amsterdam. Rembrandt’s enormous 11.91 feet by 14.34 feet painting, “The Night Watch,” has its own room, which serves as the focal point of a long Gallery of Honor lined with masterpiece after masterpiece.
Specialty galleries can also be found on the grounds, including a small pavilion of Asian art and a room of ship models from the Department of the Navy. Besides the art itself, equally beautiful are museum’s gardens and the architecture of its library and great hall.
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Egyptian Museum in Cairo
For anyone interested in ancient Egypt, a visit to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is a must. Over 100 halls are filled with Egyptian artifacts that tell the stories of the pharaohs, their gods and their people. In the basement of the museum, King Tut’s treasured possessions are on display, including many that are completely covered in gold leaf.
Room after room houses funerary items such as beds, organ containers and masks recovered from numerous tombs during the 20th century. Die-hard Egyptologists will want to pay a little extra to see the mummy rooms where many of the preserved bodies still have intact teeth and hair.