Art museums are relatively common in countries throughout the globe. This is no surprise as art museums represent significant cultural establishments. In this article we’ll discuss the 12 best art museums in the world.
Some people simply have different tastes than others. Nevertheless, we will give a list of museums that usually float to the top in most rankings in the art world. So, let’s dig in.
Table of Contents
What Makes an Art Museum Great?
As we said above, the quality of an art museum is largely subjective. One person might prefer the Met to the Vatican—for whatever reason—and someone else might rate the two in reverse. Yet, despite that, all art museums have one thing in common: The art they contain.
Much like the museums themselves, the art is also a matter of taste. Still, there is a large number of art connoisseurs whose respected opinions generally sort the wheat from the chaff. Thus, the high values of certain pieces by certain artists. Such pieces become highly prized and sought after.
Museums that collect these high-value pieces will likely increase their own reputation with every acquisition. So, what makes an art museum great?
The art. Not by itself, perhaps. But it’s probably the most critical facet of a complex array of interconnected factors.
Indicators of a museum’s greatness is another story. This usually entails some kind of more objective standard like yearly foot traffic, size of the buildings, or, perhaps, just the sheer number of art pieces the museum possesses.
What Is the #1 Art Museum in the World?
Yes, we know we just said that the quality of an art museum was largely subjective, so how could we possibly label any single museum as #1 with any degree of confidence?
Well, when the museum in question is known across the world for high-quality art, it routinely hits the number one spot on most, if not all, art museum rankings, and it further excels in things like foot traffic, size of the complex, and what-have-you, we do feel justified in giving it a shout-out.
We give you the Musee du Louvre in Paris, France. It’s probably the best known across the globe, it normally has close to 10 million visitors per year, it houses nearly 400,000 works of art–many of which dominate the art world like the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo—and it’s huge.
Those are all indicators that the Louvre is a powerhouse among art museums.
What Is the Most Visited Art Museum in the World?
As we stated above, the Louvre is visited by around 10 million people per year. That’s higher than any other museum on the globe. So, not only is it generally regarded as the greatest art museum in the world, it’s recognized as also being the busiest and most visited.
Hats off to the Louvre.
The 12 Best Art Museums to Visit in the World
Now that we’ve discussed a few curiosities about art museums, let’s go to our list of the 12 best art museums to visit in the world. As we said above, we can’t really rank these definitively because there is an enormous subjective element involved.
Still, they are all high-quality museums that provide an excellent day’s relaxation for the would-be beginning art connoisseur. Take the list as a jumping off point for more research. Then, go out and absorb that culture.
Museum 1 The Louvre in Paris, France
The home of Leonardo Da Vinci’s famous masterpiece The Mona Lisa as well as the ancient iconic Greek sculpture The Venus de Milo, the Louvre is the largest museum on the globe. It also excels in terms of foot traffic garnering around 10 million visitors in recent years.
The Louvre was originally built in the 12th Century as a fortified palace that served as a home for France’s reigning kings. In later years, it was transformed into an art museum, opening in 1793 for the enjoyment of the public.
Museum 2 The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois
The Art Institute of Chicago can be found on Chicago’s “Loop.” It houses an impressive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. All told, it houses over 300,000 pieces with more than 30 Monet’s. The collection includes such works as:
- Haystacks by Monet
- Moulin Rouge by Henri Toulouse-Lautrec
- American Gothic by Grant Wood
- Paris Street; Rainy Day by Gustave Caillebotte
And many more.
Museum 3 The J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles, California
Another remarkable art museum is the Getty Center in Los Angeles. It features works by Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Monet. Its architectural design is often considered to be a work of art on its own.
Indeed, the entire design of the structure was made with aesthetics in mind. It features scenic views of Los Angeles as well as several beautiful gardens. All in all, a warm and welcoming place for the artistic-minded.
Museum 4 The Vatican Museums in Rome, Italy
The Roman Catholic Church’s Vatican collection is extensive and astonishing. It includes works by Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci. Perhaps its most famous work is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo.
The Vatican Museums opened in 1506 making them very old. It was originally designed as part of the papal palaces, but receives several million visitors a year as a museum. All told, it contains over 70,000 works of art.
Museum 5 The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, NY
Located on Museum Mile in New York City, the Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums on the globe. It houses over 2 million works of art providing ample variety for even the most rapacious enthusiast. It has Greek sculptures, a multitude of paintings, an armory and more.
It receives more visitors than any other museum in America, attracting over 7 million people per year, trailing only the Louvre worldwide. It features works from Van Gogh, Matisse, and Picasso among many others. Big apple has many with this art preserves, dive through our guide on The Best Art Museums to Visit in NYC.
Museum 6 The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery is one of the oldest art museums on the globe. It features works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and many other greats of the art world. It is the home of one the world’s most famous masterpieces from the Renaissance era—The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.
The Uffizi Gallery also holds the following works:
- Venus of Urbino by Titian
- The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci
- Medusa by Caravaggio
And, of course, many others.
Discover how to find cheap flights to Florence and explore the city’s Renaissance treasures without breaking the bank
Museum 7 The Musee D’Orsay in Paris, France
The Musee D’Orsay in Paris was originally a train station built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900. It is now a museum specializing in artwork from both the 19th and 20th centuries. It holds the largest collection of Impressionist and Post-impressionist masterpieces on the planet.
It carries the works of such greats as Van Gogh, Degas, Manet, Monet, Munch, and Renoir. Some of the works it houses include:
- Olympia by Edouard Manet
- The Card Players by Paul Cezanne
- Self-Portrait by Vincent van Gogh
There are, of course, many more
Museum 8 The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain
The Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain showcases a number of famous Spanish artists like El Greco, Velasquez, Goya, and Murillo as well as some foreign masterpieces by such greats as Rembrandt and Van Dyke.
The most famous piece held here is Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez.
Museum 9 The Tate Modern in London, England
Located in a brick building that was once the Bankside Power Station, the Tate Modern is one of the biggest attractions in the U.K. It opened in 2000 and boasts several million visitors every year. It contains one of the biggest collections in the world of Surrealistic art.
Many noteworthy artworks call the Tate Modern home. Some of these include:
- Forgotten Horizon by Dali
- Metamorphosis of Narcissus by Dali
- Unique Forms of Continuity in Space by Umberto Boccioni
- Seagram Murals by Mark Rothko
And, of course, many more.
Museum 10 The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery of Art is located in Washington D. C. on the National Mall. It consists of an east building, a west building, and a garden of sculptures that surround a large fountain. It was established in 1937 and contains a large number of pieces of Western Art dating as far back as the Middle Ages.
It contains numerous works of many artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso, and numerous others. It welcomes several million visitors per year and is one of the largest museums in the country.
Museum 11 The Museum of Modern Art in New York, New York
The Museum of Modern Art in New York City houses the biggest collection of contemporary art on the globe. This makes it both famous and influential. It opened in 1929 only nine days after the market crash of Wall Street.
This museum was the brainchild of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (the wife of John D. Rockefeller Jr.) and two of her friends. It now holds over 150,000 pieces of art, including works like:
- The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh
- The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali
- Les Demoiselles d’Avignon by Pablo Picasso
- Gold Marilyn Monroe by Andy Warhol
All told, it has a remarkable collection.
Museum 12 The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia
The State Hermitage Museum is the second largest art museum on the globe. As such, it holds the largest collection of paintings anywhere.
It was established in 1764 by transforming a number of buildings into a museum complex. One such building was the Winter Palace, the abode of a number of Russian emperors. All told, its collection consists of over 3 million pieces of art that go back as far as the Stone Age.
The works of art it holds include such pieces as:
- The Boulevard Montmartre in Paris by Camille Pissarro
- The Return of the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt
- Thatched Cottages and Houses by Vincent van Gogh
It is an impressive collection indeed.
Conclusion
The list above is not comprehensive by any stretch of the imagination, but it should serve a beginning art enthusiast well as a jumping off point for further research. Keep in mind that, as we said, any list of the best art museums will have a subjective element to it.
Also, note that some art pieces may move from museum to museum, so our selected lists of holdings might change over time.
With those caveats we offer this list as our contribution to the intrepid art explorer’s efforts at self-edification.