Updated: Apr 21
Art is a way of expressing who we are and art galleries are a medium of bringing it forth. They have been instrumental in inducing the concealed and mysterious essence of ancient existence by acknowledging and preserving its value. Certainly, had it not been for art galleries, we wouldn't have realized the depth of cultural richness and vibrancy. Not only, visiting art galleries have nurtured out creative heads but also acted as a gateway to art education.
Fun Fact : Recent studies have proved that visiting art galleries can sharpen your memory.
1) Louvre Museum
Location : Paris, France
Established : 10th August, 1973
Architect : Pierre Lescot, Louis Le Vau, Claude Perrault
Ticket Price : €0–17
Originally built as the Louvre castle, Louvre museum is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris , France . Started in 1793, has collection of about 38,000 objects in eight specific departments for display including the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa. It was established in the 12th century during the reign of Philip Augustus.
Fun fact : It would take 100 consecutive days to see all the art work if you were to spend 30 seconds on each art work without sleeps, breaks or mealtime!
2) National Gallery
Location : Central London, UK.
Established : 1824
Architect : Penise Scott Brown, William Wilkins
Ticket Price : Free
The National Gallery has collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900 including Arnolfini Portrait by Jan Van Eyck and The Great Bathers by Paul Cézanne. In 2019, it was the most visited museum in the world. It is owned by the British government depicting the story of European art. Lack of space has been the major obstacle which later led to the foundation of Tate gallery.
Fun fact : You will be surprised to know that you can gaze at such a huge collection of art
works without spending a penny!
3) Tate Modern
Location : London, UK.
Established : 1879
Architect : Herzog and De Meuron
Ticket Price : Free
Tate Modern is a Britain’s national museum of modern and contemporary art. It was initially founded as the National Gallery of British art but later, when it included modern art, it was renamed as the The Tate Gallery. Opened in the year 2000 holds artwork from 1900 to the present day. The gallery showcases works including Marilyn Diptych by Andy Warhol and Nude Woman with Necklace by Pablo Picasso.
Fun fact : Unlike other museums, Tate modern have arranged their artwork according to
themes and not chronology. They also change their themes from time to time!
4) Art Institute of Chicago
Location : Chicago, USA.
Established : 1879
Architect : Renzo Piano
Ticket Price : USD 19-25
It is located in Chicago 's Grant Park . It hosts more than 30 special exhibitions yearly, also has a conservation science department, five conservation laboratories, and one of the largest art history and architecture libraries. It is the second largest museum in US after Metropolitan museum of Art. Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day and Grant Wood's American Gothic, are among the Institute's massive collection.
Fun fact : It was founded by a group of 35 artists with a motive of running a free school with its own art gallery.
5) Musée d'Orsay
Location : Paris, France.
Established : 1986
Architect : Gae Aulenti, Victor Laloux, Emile Bernard
Ticket Price : €14
The Musée d'Orsay was opened on the grounds of an old railway station. Directorate of the museum of France came up with the idea to turn it into a museum and laid its foundation. It was built for the Universal exhibition of 1900. It possesses notable artworks in France, like sculptures by Auguste Rodin and paintings by Paul Gauguin, Monet, Renoir.
Fun fact : It has 35,000sq m of glass (which is equivalent to five football fields) so as to
brighten up the interior.
6) Rijksmuseum
Location : Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Established : 1800
Architect : Pierre Cuypers
Ticket Price : €17.50 for adults and free for children under 18.
The Rijksmuseum is a Dutch national museum dedicated to arts and history in Amsterdam . Founded in The Hague in 1800, The Rijksmuseum then moved to Amsterdam in 1808. The collection consists of one million objects dedicated to art and history, by famous artists such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, and Johannes Vermeer.
Fun fact : It is the only museum in the world with a road in it!
7) Acropolis Museum
Location : Athens, Greece.
Established : 2009
Architect : Bernard Tschumi
Ticket Price : €20
The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the
archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens . It is under the control of Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Tourism. Located in the historic area of Makriyianni, the museum was founded in 1976 and houses nearly 4,000 sculptures and antiquities. It has been awarded the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Award of Excellence and Sustainability.
Fun fact : The museum has tall glass facades on each side so that visitors can see the
Acropolis while they are inside it.
8) Moderna Museet
Location : Stockholm, Sweden
Established : 1958
Architect : Rafael Moneo
Ticket Price : Free
Moderna Museet Stockholm is a state funded contemporary art museum located on the
island of Skeppsholmen and has collections of Swedish and international modern and
contemporary artworks by Dali, Picasso, Rauchenberg, Duchamp and Matisse.
Fun fact : On 8 November, 1993, six works by Picasso and two by George Baque were stole from the museum. The buglers have emulated the technique from the movie Rififi.
9) Shanghai Museum
Location : Huangpu, China.
Established : 1952
Architect : Xing Tonghe
Ticket Price : Free
The Shanghai Museum is a museum of ancient Chinese art , situated on the People
Square in the Huangpu District of Shanghai, China. This is the China's first world- class
modern museum. It is believed that it has a collection of over 120,000 pieces, including bronze ,ceramics, calligraphy, furniture, jades, ancient coins, paintings, seals, sculptures, minority art and foreign art. The building was designed by Xing Tonghe and resembles the shape of an ancient cooking vessel. Its round top and square base symbolizes the round sky and flat earth.
Fun fact : It has 12,000sq m exhibition room displaying more the 400 bronze artwork.
10) Vatican Museums
Location : Vatican City
Established : 1506
Architect : Luca Beltrami
Ticket Price : €4-17
The Vatican Museums are the public art and sculpture museums in the Vatican City .
Established in 1506 and founded by Pope Julius ll in 16th century. Vatican collection is one of the largest and most stunning in the world featuring the art of Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and, of course, Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. It hols the possession of 70,000 works of art where 20,000 are on display. This museum has been the third most visited museum in the world.
Fun fact: It is believed that it has the world's largest collection of art with 9 miles of pieces which could wrap four and half times around the Vatican walls.