World of Art

Europe

Sweden

Moderna Museet in Stockholm is a state-funded contemporary art museum. It sits on the island of Skeppsholmen in a natural beauty setting. It is home to one of the world's finest collections of Swedish, international modern, and contemporary artworks from the early 20th century to today. There are more than 5000 paintings, sculptures, and installations, 25000 drawings, prints, and watercolors, and almost 100,000 photos dating back to 1840. The museum also features learning activities and children's workshops relating to contemporary art.

England

Tate Modern is a British national museum of modern art. It was founded in 2000 as a new and the fourth branch in the Tate group of art museums. It is housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the south bank of the Thames in the capital, London. The building looks like a twentieth-century factory and has five levels of gallery space. The extensive collection has both international modern and contemporary art and has the national collection of British art from 1900 to today. The collections include artists like Dali, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, Lichtenstein, Pollock, Judd, and Beuys.

The British Museum has one of the largest collections in the world, which is dedicated to human history. It was founded in 1753 and opened its doors in 1759. The museum has over seven million objects from all continents. It is divided into several departments among them those dedicated to Ancient Egypt and Sudan, Greece, Rome, and the Middle East.

France

The Louvre in the capital, Paris, is one of the most popular and well-known museums. It sits on the right bank of the Seine. It is a historic monument and city landmark housing one of the most impressive art collections in history. The collection was first established in the 16th century as a private collection of King Francis I. Among the first artworks, he purchased was the famous Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. After the French Revolution, the museum became a national art museum and has more than one million artworks, with about 35,000 on display.

On the left bank of the Seine, you'll find the Musee d'Orsay, which is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station. It is an excellent place to see French art from the 1840s to 1914. Its collections include sculptures, furniture, photos, and more. The first floor displays bronze and stone sculptures, pre-Impressionist paintings, and realistic artworks. On the second floor are decorative arts, Academic art, and Naturalism. A modern and contemporary exhibition and a temporary exhibition can be seen on the third floor.

The Centre George Pompidou is the second museum in Europe exclusively dedicated to modern art. The museum opened in 1977 and features France's national collection of art dating from 1905. There is an impressive collection of 100,000 international artworks by fauvists, cubists, surrealists, pop artists, and contemporary artists.

The Musee Jacquemart Andre is housed in the private home of 19th- century Parisians Edouard Andre and Nelie Jacquemart. The museum displays their private collections. It is divided into five parts – the State Rooms, the Informal Apartments, the Winter Garden, the Italian Museum, and the Private Apartments. The artwork in the museum is a reflection of the lifestyle of the Parisian bourgeoisie in the 19th century.

The Netherlands

Van Gogh Museum has the largest collection of artwork by artist Vincent van Gogh who is one of the most influential figures in modern art. The museum also displays sketches and personal letters. It is an iconic landmark of the Dutch capital, Amsterdam.

Germany

The Brandhorst Museum displays contemporary art and opened in 2009 in the German state of Bavaria. It is home to the contemporary art collection of Anette Branhorst and her husband Udo Fritz-Hermann, heirs of Fritz Henkel, founder of the famous German chemical company. The museum has artworks by such artists as Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Gerhard Richter, Damien Hirst, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Alex Katz. It is housed in a two-story building, with a multi-colored facade composed of thousands of ceramic louvers glazed in different colors. The museum has three separate exhibition areas connected by stairs.

Hamburger Bahnhof Museum fur Gegenwart or Museum for the Present, is located in the capital, Berlin. It is a renowned contemporary art museum and part of the Berlin National Gallery. The museum opened in 1996 in a former railway station, after Erich Marx, a Berlin entrepreneur, donated his private collection. On exhibit are modern and contemporary artworks from great artists like Beuys, Kiefer, Rauschenberg, Haring, and Warhol being on permanent display.

Italy

Uffizi Gallery is located in Florence and filled with lovely artwork. The gallery has one of the most extensive collections of Florentine paintings and is home to the extraordinary collection of artworks by Sandro Boticelli. The Cabinet of Prints and Drawings features a rotating collection of artwork. Some of the most famous paintings are by Caravaggio, including The Sacrifice of Isaac, Bacchus, and Medusa.

Vatican City

The Vatican Museums are public museums in Vatican City. The collection represents the Catholic church's extensive collection of artworks, including Roman sculptures and Renaissance masterpieces. It is located in St. Peter's Square and is home ot the largest permanent exhibition in the world. One of the most popular rooms in the museums is Raphael's Chapel. This masterpiece was created by Raphael and his students between 1508 and 1524. Another highlight is the Sacred College of Cardinals, where the new pope is chosen the artwork there includes “The Last Judgment,” “The Creation of Adam,” and “The Fall of Man.” and is considered to be one of the best examples of Renaissance art.

Spain

The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of the most important museums in Spain. The museum has a collection of over 8000 paintings and 700 sculptures and was originally built to host the royal collection of the Spanish Monarchy. You can enjoy the artwork of legendary Spanish artists like Velazquez, El Greco, Goya, and El Bosco. The museum has also survived three wars in Spain: the Spanish War of Independence, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II.

The Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia is one of Spain's national museums. It houses some of the greatest collections of Picasso and Dali, among them Picasso's masterpiece in 1937, Guernica. The museum is housed on the site of the first general hospital in Madrid. Other masterpieces found in the museum include artwork by Joan Miro, Pablo Gargallo, Juan His, and Lucio Munoz, among others. It also has an international artist collection with artwork by Francis Bacon, Alexander Calder, Vasily Kandinsky, and Rene Magritte.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 1997. It is located in the Basque city of Bilbao in northern Spain. The building incorporates titanium, glass, and limestone features. As part of the permanent collection, you can see an installation by Fujiko Nakaya, Louise Bourgeois' sculpture Maman and Jeff Koons' sculpture Puppy.

Asia

China

The Shenzhen Museum is one of the most important museums in China. You can learn about the migration history of the Cantonese and Hakka people. It showcases over 6,000 years of history. There are four museum sites, including the Shenzhen Museum of History and Folk Culture, the Shenzhen Museum of Ancient Art, the Dongjiang River Guerrilla Command Headquarters Memorial, and the Shenzhen Reform and Opening-up Exhibition Hall.

Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai was founded in 2005 as a non-profit, independent contemporary art museum focusing on domestic and international contemporary artists. The collection includes artworks by contemporary Chinese artists, and on display are the artworks of the world's leading artists and designers. The museum features seminars, talks, and educational programs for adults and children. On the third floor is MOCA on the Park, a restaurant that is used for opening ceremonies and private events and has various artworks by renowned contemporary artists.

Japan

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo MOT is located in Metropolitan Kiba Park. It is dedicated to systematic research, collection, preservation, and showcasing of post-WWII artists and designers from Japan and abroad. The museum collection has 5000 artworks created by renowned contemporary artists and exhibited on rotation. The permanent collection occupies two floors, while three more floors of gallery space are used for temporary exhibitions. The building was built of stone, steel, and wood and features a V-shaped structural support, a water and stone promenade, and a lovely sunken garden.

Taiwan

The National Palace Museum in Taipei has over 650,000 objects of art and documents that formerly were in Beijing as part of the Chinese imperial collection. The collection comes from the Qing Dynasty Emperor Qianlong and spans over 4000 years of history and has the best collections of Chinese paintings in the world. It also includes bronze statues, ceramics, jade, lacquerware, carvings, tapestries, calligraphy, and more.

The US

NYC

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. It is an internationally renowned art museum and has a collection of early modern masterpieces. It has one of the largest collections of Wassily Kandinsky artwork and features other modern artists like Paul Klee, Franz Marc, Robert Delaunay, Marc Chagall, and Fernand Leger. There is an ongoing series of exhibitions drawing on the permanent collections of over 6,000 artworks and loans from other institutions.

The Museum of Modern Art, located in midtown Manhattan, was established in 1929. It is considered to be the world's most influential modern and contemporary art museum. The museum has a collection of over 150,000 artworks and about 22,000 films. It includes some of the most legendary artworks by Europe and American artists like Bacon, Dali, Cezanne, Ernst, Gauguin, Kahlo, Lichtenstein, Picasso, van Gogh, Warhol, Mondrian, Monet, and Pollock.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the world, with a collection of over 2 million artworks. On display are also musical instruments, suits of armor, historical artifacts, costumes, and much more. It opened in 1870 with three private collections of artworks. Today its collection ranges from the 12th to 19th centuries, and there are 20 permanent collections within the museum, as well as a variety of programs and tours. The museum is divided into three strategic locations in New York City - The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. It also provides a comprehensive art history experience online.

Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is located in Grant Park and holds one of the most valuable art collections in the US. The museum is known for American artworks like Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" and Grant Wood's "American Gothic." Its international collection is just as impressive, with artworks by Picasso, Mary Cassatt, and George Seurat. The museum also has ancient and Byzantine art and Asian artworks that date back over 5,000 years.

The National Gallery of Art is located in Washington DC and has over one million artworks. The museum is housed in two buildings. The West Building features artworks by the European Old Masters, 19th- century masterpieces, and pre-Modern American artists. The East Building is home to modern and contemporary artworks by artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and René Magritte. Visitors can also see the Sculpture Garden.

California

San Francisco

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was the first museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art on the West Coast. The museum showcases the most innovative art of its time and collects and exhibits artworks by both modern masters and emerging talents. In the main gallery, eight exhibitions are presented each year. It was also one of the first American art venues to recognize photography and film as art forms.

Los Angeles

The Museum of Contemporary Art MOCA in Los Angeles was founded in 1979. It has one of the most renowned permanent collections, which consists of almost 7,000 pieces of American and European contemporary artworks. The museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and presentation of all-media artwork dating back to 1940. The museum is housed in three separate buildings – the main branch on Grand Avenue, the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo, and MOCA Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

South America

Brazil

Museu Inhotim is located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais and is home to one of the most important contemporary art collections in Brazil. It is the creation of businessman Bernardo de Mello Paz, who gave the parcel of private land in the middle of the jungle, transforming it into a place that blends art and nature. It exhibits the artwork of Brazilian artists like Cildo Meireles and Miguel Rio Branco and international artwork from artists like Chris Burden, Matthew Barney, Paul McCartney, and Olafur Eliasson. The museum also has a remarkable botanical collection which includes rare species from every continent.