Visiting a new city can be overwhelming. So much to see, so many things to do. To get yourself started, it’s nice to rely on some old standbys to get a head start on what to see first. For some it’s bookstores, to get lost in the stacks of the local culture. For others it’s concerts or theater, to see what excitement from live entertainment a new city has to offer.
For others, it’s museums. When they get a chance to visit a major city, they immediately look up what art museums and fine arts institutions call the city home. In fact, there are some museums that are so special, so bursting with cultural riches, that these museums are reason enough to visit that city.
What follows is a selective list of some of the finest arts and culture museums in the world. Now, many of these cities you might have gone to anyway: London, New York City, Amsterdam. We hardly need to call these cities to your attention. But maybe the next time you visit, you’ll put aside some time to see why some museums are sufficient in and of themselves to put a certain city on your itinerary.
The Art Institute of Chicago
On the shore of Lake Michigan stands one of the towering jewels of an already beautiful city, the Art Institute of Chicago is one of the finest art museums in the world. The collection features an eclectic mix of old masters, ancient artifacts, and iconic paintings from the modern era. Among the Art Institute’s many instantly recognizable holdings are Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Grant Wood’s American Gothic, and Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of la Grande Jatte. Don’t miss Marc Chagall’s transcendent stained glass America Windows, a truly religious experience, although the subject matter is decidedly secular. And kids will likely be fascinated by the museum’s famed Thorne Miniature Rooms, painstaking minute reconstructions of rooms in a wide range of historical and architectural styles.
The Palace Museum, Beijing
Beijing’s Palace Museum, situated the the famous Forbidden City, is an actual former palace inhabited by emperors from the Ming to the Qing dynasties. It was constructed early in the 15th century, and served as the emperor’s palace for the next 400 years. After the last emperor was removed from the palace in 1925, the vast complex of over 900 buildings was established as a museum celebrating the best of Chinese art and design. In addition to its impressive architecture, the museum also features painting, calligraphy, ceramics, and various other impressive objects from China’s imperial past.
The Prado, Madrid
More formally known as the Museo Nacional del Prado, this treasure trove of Spanish and international art is part of Madrid’s “Golden Triangle” of museums, which also includes the Museo Nacional Central de Arte Reina Sofia and the Thyssen-Bornemisza, both of which are a short walk from the Prado. The Prado’s impressive collection includes such iconic paintings as The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymous Bosch; The Third of May 1808 and The Colossus, both by Francisco Goya; and perhaps the museum’s most famous painting, Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez, considered by many scholars and critics to be the best painting ever created. One of Madrid’s most famous holdings — Pablo Picasso’s monumental Guernica — is no longer housed at the Prado, but rather in a purpose-built gallery in the Reina Sofia, about a ten-minute walk away.
Victoria and Albert, London
Although London boasts many fine art museums, from the National Gallery to the Tate Modern, often lost in their shadow is the Victoria and Albert Museum, London’s premier museum of applied arts, decorative arts, and design. The museum features an impressively wide array of beautiful objects, including furniture, fashion, jewelry, religious objects, and a wildly eccentric glass chandelier from contemporary glass artist Dale Chihuly. Be sure not to miss the “cast court,” featuring reproductions of some of the most famous sculptures in the world, including Michelangelo’s David. The more you find out about the V&A, as it is affectionately known by Londoners, the more you’ll be tempted to start looking for cheap flights to London to take in this British trove of treasures.
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Netherlands has given rise to so many influential classical painters that we have a term for them: The Dutch Masters. This august group includes Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, Franz Hals, Peter Brueghel the Elder, Jan Steen, Hieronymous Bosch, and Hendrick Avercamp. And all of these artists are represented at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, an almost overwhelming collection of masterworks from these masters of the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century or thereabouts. Of particular note in the Rijksmuseum’s collection are no fewer than four works by Johannes Vermeer — including The Milkmaid — quite an impressive number, since only 36 works by Vermeer are known to have survived. Perhaps the museum’s most famous painting is Rembrandt’s Night Watch, more formally known as “Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq.” The painting was infamously cut down to size in the 18th century to fit into Amsterdam’s town hall, but the the missing portions were recently restored using various modern technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Detail from ‘The Milkmaid’ by Johannes Vermeer
Do you have a favorite art museum? Let us know in the comments below!
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