All over the world, there are vast art collections that are accessible to everyone. But what is one thing that these museums and galleries around the world have in common? An ability to leave you speechless as soon as you enter these museums. These museums inspire people to think differently about society and allow people to explore the richness of cultures, history and subjects through their carefully curated collections. In this article, we have listed some of the best art museums in the world.
1. Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain
Queen Sophia Museum has always been known as the most cultural place where works of art tell the story of Spain and provide deep insight into its future. Reina Sofia’s signature exhibition contains the works of Salvador Dali and the most powerful oil painting, Guernica by Pablo Picasso, which depicts the horrors of the Spanish Civil War. They also have a whole collection of over 25,000 works of art by 20th century Spanish artists.
2. Tate Modern in London, England
The Tate has 4 galleries in the UK: St Ives, Britain, Modern and Liverpool. The cavernous galleries house an extensive permanent collection and best-selling collections that draw crowds. It also has an extensive collection of British art from 1500 to the present day and also includes up to 75,000 works of art.
3. The Albertina Museum in Vienna, Austria
The Albertine The museum was created in 1805, it presents one of the most important European collections of international modern art. It houses one of the largest and most important printing rooms in the world with over 65,000 drawings and over a million old prints.
4. Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois, USA
The Chicago Art Institute was opened in 1879 and is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States, welcoming more than 1.5 million people a year. Its collection includes over 5,000 human expressions from cultures around the world and also contains over 300,000 works of art spread across 11 curatorial departments.
5. Grand Palace in Paris, France
The Big palace was opened in 1900. It is a large historical site, an exhibition hall and a museum dedicated to the organization of publishing books, exhibitions, photographic agency, hosting large fairs, workshops of art and events. The Grand Palais receives more than 2.5 million visitors each year.
6. Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Hermitage The museum is the second largest and the eighth most visited art museum in the world. It is located in the former Royal Winter Palace, and it was founded by Catherine the Great but opened to the public in 1852. It has a wide variety of collections but only 60,000 works of art are exhibited in permanence, including Madonna Litta by Leonardo Da Vinci Clock and Peacock by James Cox.
7. Kunsthaus Zürich in Zürich, Switzerland
The Kunsthaus Zurich presents the most important art collections in Switzerland from the 13th century to the present day. While the museum focuses on Swiss artists, you can also find works by Picasso, Warhol and Monet.
8. The Louvre Museum in Paris, France
The Louvre is one of the largest museums that has much more to offer than Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. It houses over 35,000 works of art which contain Egyptian antiquities, crown jewels, works of art by the famous Botticelli and much more. It also represents all periods of European art up to the revolutions of 1848.
9. Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts
MFA is the 17th largest art museum in the world and houses one of the most extensive collections in the United States. It houses more than 8,000 paintings and exceeds more than one million visitors each year. Works of art from world-renowned artists like Monet, Van-Gogh, and Gauguin are featured here along with sculptures, mummies, and other artifacts from ancient civilizations.
10. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as ‘The MEETis one of the largest art museums in the United States and the 4th most visited museum in the world with more than 6 million visitors each year. The permanent collection contains over 2 million works from ancient Egypt, sculptures, and an extensive collection of American and modern art. It also has extensive collections of Asian, African, Byzantine and Islamic art dating back to the 7th century.
11. São Paulo Art Museum, Brazil
The São Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) is the first museum of modern art in Brazil and is internationally recognized for its collection of European art as it is considered the most beautiful museum in Latin America. The museum displays Brazilian prints, works of art and drawings as well as collections of Asian and African art, antiquities, amounting to more than 8,000 pieces. The museum also has one of the largest art libraries in the country.
12. Musee d’Orsay in Paris, France
The Orsay Museum is one of the largest art museums in Europe which opened in 1986 and welcomes more than 3.6 million visitors each year. The museum mainly holds French art dating from 1848 to 1914 which includes furniture, paintings, photographs and sculptures. It houses the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world, which includes works by Manet, Monet, Van-Gogh, Gauguin, Renoir, Degas, Sisley and many more.