The largest artistic museums of the world list. The best art galleries in the world

The largest artistic museums of the world list. The best art galleries in the world
The largest artistic museums of the world list. The best art galleries in the world

The unique opportunity to travel in time and space provide museums where the exhibits of various national cultures created by hand as modern masters and famous ancestors are collected. The topic of the article is the most famous and great museums of the world in which you should visit.

general review

What criteria are taken as the basis?

  • One of the most important is attendance. The leader is the French Louvre, whose record is approaching 10 million people. In second place - the British Museum (about 8 million). The Metropolitan Museum (USA) and the Vatican Museum occupy a third and fourth line of the rating, respectively. Each of them exceeded the attendance threshold of 6 million.
  • Footprint. The leader here is the Louvre again, although officially he is given to the third position (160 thousand square meters). Formally, it is ahead of, for example, the Art Museum of Japan (Tokyo), but the exhibition area of \u200b\u200bthe Louvre is the most impressive (58 thousand square meters).
  • The greatest museums of the world are determined by the number of exhibits and their historical value.
  • Another criterion is the choice of travelers. Traveller "S Choice, having a nomination" Museums of the World "contest, is held annually. In 2016, the rating was headed by the Metropolitan Museum, and the Ten of the Chicago Institute of Arts, Hermitage (third position) and a very young museum on September 11 (USA), opened in The 2013 is dedicated to tragic events in New York.

The greatest Louvre (France)

Before becoming a museum, the Louvre was a fortress, and then the residence of the kings of France. Its exposures were presented to the public in 1793, during the Great Bourgeois Revolution. The unique collection was formed by the Queen of Francis I and was constantly replenished. In his treasures today, more than 300 thousand exhibits, 35 thousand of which are simultaneously exhibited for visitors: from Egyptian and finicky antiquities to modern sculptures and jewelry.

The most valuable artworks are the statues of Venus Milos and Niki Samofraki, Delacroix and the Great Rembrandt. Art lovers come to see the masterpiece of an outstanding master of the revival of Leonard da Vinci - Monu Lisa. In 1911, the canvas was stolen by the Italian Perugia, but after 27 months it was returned after long negotiations with Italy. All the greatest museums of the world ensure the safety of paintings. "Mona Lisa" is the only exhibit that is not insured by the state, because it is considered invaluable.

Today, the museum located on the street Rivoli in the center of Paris includes an old and new Louvre. In 1989, American Jong Min Pei implemented a project to unite the Louvre into a single complex. A special entrance in the form of a glass pyramid was built, which allowed us to increase the number of visitors.

British Museum (London)

The date of its foundation (1753th) is impressive. The beginning of the collection was put by the doctor Hans Sloan - a collector of ancient manuscripts, books, plants and medals. Today it is the largest historical and archaeological storage of the United Kingdom, where about 13 million exhibits are collected. They are accommodated in 100 galleries in the territorial-chronological basis. Exposure pearls are the Marbles of Parfenon attributed to the Greek sculptor FIDIA, which allowed to decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, a piece of large sphinx beard from Giza. The greatest museums of the world have formed rich collections at the expense of the robbery of colonial countries.

In the XIX century, the old structure was demolished, and in his place the architect Robert Smaki built a unique building in neoclassical style. Located in the Bloomsbury district, in the 20th century it was redeveloped (Foster project), acquiring a modern view. A feature of the museum is to create a separate structure on its basis in 1972 - the British Library.

Vatican Museums - Unified Complex

It is believed that the complex occupies the most significant territory. The impression is made at the expense of the high density of exhibits per unit area. The entire Vatican is located only half a square kilometer, while the museum foundation is 50 thousand paintings, sculptures and jewelry. All the greatest museums of the world (photos are presented in the article) have unique features.

The main shrine of this is the Sistine Chapel, where from the XV century there is a painted by the frescoes of the Great Michelangelo, it is a crown of the hands of human hands. To get there, dozens of museum halls need to go there, enjoying the magnificence of Catholic temples, tombs and picturesque canvases of Rafael and other artists.

A small state can be considered as a single museum of architectural monuments whose construction began in the XIV century.

Metropolitan Museum (USA)

The New York Museum occupies the first line among the laureates of Traveler "S Choice, although it is based on a later period - in the 1870s. It began with private collections donated to the state and put the dance school. At the turn of the centuries, the architect Hyd was built by the main building , and a little later - the side wings of the Metropolitan Museum representing a number of high-rise buildings. They are connected by stairs and transitions, keeping 3 million works of art. Here the largest collection has been collected by the Costume Institute.

Not all the greatest museums of the world, the description of which are given in the article, can boast of large-scale events, which is the annual Met Gala charitable ball with the participation of world stars. In 2016, the Costume Institute celebrated its 70th anniversary.

National Museum Prado

Painting Great Spaniards is presented in Madrid. The National Museum was founded in 1785 and gathered large-scale collections of Goya, Velasquez, Surbaran and El Greco. There are also works of the great Italian and Flemish masters, samples of old coins, jewels and porcelain. From the 1819th museum is located in the current building made in the style of classicism (architect Villanueva), and is open to visitors. On an area of \u200b\u200b58 thousand square meters. Meters are exhibited 1300 works, and the rest (more than 20 thousand) are stored in the storey.

The greatest museums of the world often have branches. The modern art of Prado is represented in the Villahermos Palace. A feature of the Spanish Museum is the restrained elegance of buildings in contrast to the Louvre and Hermitage, where we will stop slightly lower.

Hermitage (St. Petersburg)

The name is translated from French as a secluded place, but today it is one of the most visited in the world. Founded by Catherine at the end of the XVIII century, the museum has the title of the best following the results of 2014. Under Nicolae I, the collection has become so large-scale that the doors of the Imperial Palace opened to the public. Today, 3 million works of art please the eye of visitors, telling the story since the time of the Stone Age. Of particular interest is the diamond and golden storage room of the Hermitage, which require an additional ticket.

Great Russian museums are located in buildings that have cultural and historical importance for the country. Hermitage consists of five buildings spreading on the banks of the Neva (Palace Embankment). Luxurious Baroque Winter Palace of Architect B. Rastrelli - Decoration of St. Petersburg and the greatest historical monument.

25. National Museum of Te-Papa Tongarere (Wellington, New Zealand)

Swancraig / Instagram.com.

The National Museum of New Zealand focuses on the history of the island state and the culture of its indigenous population - Maori. Nature lovers will be satisfied with the huge collection of dinosaurs, birds, fish, insects and even mythical beings - for example, orcs. And all because it was in New Zealand, Peter Jackson filmed the most famous filmmaker "Lord of the Rings."

24. Latin American Museum (Buenos Aires, Argentina)


elmomentos / Instagram.com.

The exposition of the museum is dedicated mainly to works by the Latin American art of the 20th century: on the first floor there are works of modern masters, and on the second - earlier painting. Almost all exhibits own an Argentine philanthropist Eduardo Konstantini.

23. Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses (Xi'an, China)


marco_richard / instagram.com

The Great Wall and the Terracotta Army are one of the most recognizable symbols of China, whose construction accounted for Qin Shihuandi, the first emperor of the United Chinese State. In them, the mighty ruler saw the distribution of the security of his country and the continuation of personal power in the afterlife. It is noteworthy that among the figures there are no identical warriors: they all differ in the title used by weapons and the expression of the face.

22. Memorial of the victims of the Holocaust of the poison of yours (Jerusalem, Israel)


riemreim / Instagram.com.

The memorial complex of the Holocaust history is located on Mount Herzl in the western part of Jerusalem. Eternal memory of the catastrophe and tribute to all fighters with fascism.

21. National Art Gallery (Washington, USA)


kinelu_norway / instagram.com

The complex consists of a garden of sculptures and two buildings connected by an underground transition. The collection of the museum demonstrates the inconspicuous number of works of art of different eras and styles. By the way, a considerable part of the exhibits is the Hermitage Masterpieces, purchased by American connoisseurs of the beautiful Soviet authorities.

20. Inchotim (Brumadin, Brazil)


daniBorgesF / Instagram.com.

Art objects under the crowns of primordant forests? Why not! In the Brazilian Park-Museum, modern art objects are placed right under the open sky. Of course, there are also closed exhibition centers of a different nature. Bright Inchotim is often called "Disneyland for adults".

19. Institute Ricardo Brennanda (Recife, Brazil)


clarisseconde / Instagram.com.

The cultural center belongs to the Brazilian collector Ricardo Brennanda and includes a museum, art gallery, library and park. A considerable number of exhibits is devoted to the colonial era of Brazil. The special interest of tourists is the impressive assembly of weapons.

18. National Aviation and Cosmonautics Museum (Washington, USA)


trueLifeAndrewe / Instagram.com.

The Smitonian Institute's Research Center is a real sweat for those who for any reason cannot become a pilot or. Under high vaults of the museum collected unique copies of real aircraft and spacecraft.

17. Center GETTI (Los Angeles, California)


j89_Story / Instagram.com.

The GETTI complex will delight its visitors to amazing architecture with a beautiful view of Los Angeles. The museum presents the work of European photographers, sculptors and artists. The surrounding park is famous for the unique murmur of his waterfall. In the walls of the Research Institute, training classes and exhibitions are held.

16. Pergamm Museum (Berlin, Germany)


pixiprol / Instagram.com.

The museum's exposition is divided into three blocks: an ancient meeting, the Museum of Islamic Art and the 2008 Museum. Here are the monumental works of architecture, sculptures, mosaic, relief and writing with a very difficult fate. The fact is that Berlin's bombings during the Second World War hit the Pergham Museum, as a result of which part of the collection was transported and still not returned.

15. National Museum of World War II (New Orleans, USA)


kayaknola / Instagram.com.

The opening of the museum was confined to the 56th anniversary of the strategic operation on landing for troops in France in 1944. The building atrium presents a military equipment that contributed to the victory of allies in World War II.

14. Academy of Fine Arts (Florence, Italy)


theadVenturesofhp / Instagram.com.

In the walls of the First Academy of Painting Europe, you can see worldwide recognizable objects of art, for example, David Michelangelo. Do not love sculpture? Anyway, do not pass by: Tourists, originally adjusted to naked stone bodies, will be pretty to be pretty.

13. Vincent Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)


beatricedelatorre / Instagram.com.

The beautiful price has no price, but we have repeatedly heard about the fabulous amounts for which the pictures of the famous Netherlands artist-post-imagressionist are sold. In addition to the work of the master itself, the museum exhibits the works of its no less well-known contemporaries: the fields of Gogen, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso.

12. British Museum (London, United Kingdom)


clovismmmmartine / Instagram.com.

Over the centuries, the colonists from the British Empire opened the most hidden corners of the planet and grabbed interesting "souvenirs" from there, which later became the exhibits of the second attendance of the Museum of the World. A huge collection covers a variety of era, culture and art.

11. New Acropolis Museum (Athens, Greece)


antonisv_ / Instagram.com.

A complex, expensive and protracted construction of the museum was due to two interrelated reasons. First, the Greek story has accumulated an excess number of artifacts. Secondly, the British did not want to return the stolen historical and cultural values, referring to the fact that they were nowhere to put and stored. I still had to give away.

10. National Anthropology Museum (Mexico City, Mexico)


mjTrayNor / Instagram.com.

The culture of indigenous peoples of mesoames is shrouded in fantastics haze, ideas about their bloodthirstiness and unprecedented wealth. As far as it is true, you can appreciate Mexico in the main museum, where the ancient values \u200b\u200bof such powerful civilizations of the past are presented, such as Maya or Aztec.

9. Museum of Vase (Stockholm, Sweden)


carolmorenot / Instagram.com.

The most visited museum of Scandinavia was built around the ship "Vase" belonging to the Swedish fleet of the XVII century. This is the oldest combat vessel, preserved to the present day. And to withstand the test of time helped him, oddly enough, very soon crash during their first navigation. Immersed in low salting water, the ship was not eaten by sea worms.

8. State Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands)


ilyusheen / Instagram.com.

The central place in the exposition of the museum founded in 1808 Louis Bonaparte, take pictures of the Dutch masters of painting the XV-XIX centuries. For example, "Night Watch" Rembrandt is located here - a cloth with a size of 363 to 437 cm, which is famous for its hard history with attempts to destroy, weighing mysteries and several cinema mentions.

7. London National Gallery (London, United Kingdom)


alexandralaoun / instagram.com.

The art gallery annually takes about 6.5 million tourists. More than two thousand paintings are exposed in chronological order, which helps an unprepared viewer to trace the development of Western European painting since the XIII century.

6. State Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia)


smarishca / Instagram.com.

Mecca of all the guests of the Northern Capital of Russia, with a breathtaking amount of exhibits, unimaginable decoration, as well as representative offices throughout the country and abroad.

5. Louvre (Paris, France)


lucashunter8 / Instagram.com.

Try to solve the smile "Joconda" through the smartphone lens - the holy duty of each guest of Paris. To do this, have to look into the most popular art museum of the world. However, before a date with the Leonardo da Vinci, you will have a photo session with a glass pyramid - the main entrance to the Louvre.

4. National Prado Museum (Madrid, Spain)


g.TOM87 / Instagram.com.

Along with the bright works of art belonging to the masters of the Flemish, English, German and French schools, the museum, of course, keeps the richest collection of paintings by Spanish painters. The admirers of El Greek, Velasquez and Goya will be delighted.

3. Chicago Institute of Arts (Chicago, USA)


jarestillo / Instagram.com.

Museum of part-time is the highest art educational institution of the United States, in which such creators such as Walt Disney have been educated. Of course, among the exhibits many samples of American art.

2. Orset Museum (Paris, France)


philippeuter / Instagram.com.

The museum collection is located in the building of the former railway station. In addition to the rich set of work of impressionists and postmingnessists, visitors can enjoy the wonderful views of the Paris Seine.

1. Metropolitan Museum (New York, USA)


2.10.6 / Instagram.com.

In the "Big Apple" and so there is no apple to fall, and here more millions of visitors run from one attraction of the city to another with the aim of early familiarization. With the Metropolitan-Museum will not quickly come out: even a quick acquaintance with a part of "different" exhibits will take many hours.

Began to be in an interesting museum? Tell us about it in the comments.

Traveling to another country is a real adventure, an event that will be remembered for a lifetime. In addition to fantastic landscapes and architectural monuments, most tourists dream of visiting the most famous museums and art galleries of the world to see their eyes to see the masterpieces of world art. Below we will get acquainted with three art gallery, which are known all over the world.

The National Picture Gallery in London contains a unique collection of collections of English and Western European painting. There is a gallery on Trafalgar Square, in the heart of London. Here you can see the masterpieces owned by Michelangelo's brushes, Rembrandt, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Titian, Rubens, Cantelto, Durera, Thomas Lawrence, William Hogart and many other world famous painters. The gallery exposed and portraits of the royal family written by the most famous masters of the 12th and 9th centuries.


The London Art Gallery was founded in 1824, at that moment when the first collection was purchased, which had 38 paintings, which belonged to Jarstein, known at the time to the banker. Gradually, for many centuries, the collection was replenished with new canvases, many of which were generously presented by patrons. Starting from 1831, to this day, the gallery is located in a new building on Trafalgar Square, which was designed by the architect Wilkins.
Today, the Collection of Gallery Tolens has more than 2500 paintings related to periods from 13 to 20th century. For the convenience of visitors, all the canvas are set in chronological order, which makes it possible to better understand the events of one or another era.

Dresden Picture Gallery

The unique landmark of Dresden is the art gallery. No matter how you relate to painting, be sure to make this place in the trips you plan to implement. The fact is that the Dresden Art Gallery is not just the attraction of the city, and his highlight, a kind of symbol. The hallmark of the gallery is the famous picture of the Great Rafael "Sicstinskaya Madonna", which has been here for more than 250 years.

Dresden's art gallery was founded in the 16th century by the King Friedrich Wise. However, the first visitors were able to see the canvas only in the 19th century. Unfortunately, many famous paintings were lost during the Second World War, and the gallery itself was repeatedly subjected to bombardments.

Today, visitors to the Dresden Art Gallery can enjoy the most valuable canvases of Titian, Rubens, Albrecht Dürer, Pushsen, Velasquez and other talented painters.

A large number of artistic museums are concentrated in Milan, the honorable place among which is occupied by the Brera art gallery. The most impressive collection of great masterpieces created by Italian sculptors and painters is stored here. 40 halls in which the Raphael, Titian, Hayes, Caravaggio, as well as Flemish painters and impressionists of various eras are represented, create a stunning effect.

When planning an excursion to the Brera art gallery, keep in mind that one or two hours you definitely do not have enough to familiarize yourself with the whole collection. If you have a little time, be sure to start a tour of two impressive restorations - the three-meter statues of the emperor Napoleon, which weighs more than 2 tons and is the creation of the sculptor Antonio Canov, as well as the paintings of the "Welcome" written by the Grand Rafael.

The gallery was founded in 1809 by order of Queen Mary Teresa Austrian. It is located in the Brera Palace (where and got his name), not far from the Observatory and the Academy of Arts. Today there are 40 halls here, in each of which the canvas and sculptures belonging to a certain era or school are exhibited.

To date, there are more than 100 thousand museums in the world, and each of them is unique in its own way. However, there are museums, to visit everyone who is interested in history and culture is dreaming. These are the most famous museums of the world.

First place in terms of fame and uniqueness experts give Louvre. This museum opened in France, in Paris in 1793. Before that fortress, where the exposition is located, was the residence of the French kings. The museum presents a huge collection of works of art, as well as various historical and scientific exhibits.

Paris Louvre

British museum Located in the capital of Great Britain London. The institution for the first time opened the doors for visitors in 1753. The area of \u200b\u200bthis museum is 9 football fields, the collection of the exhibits presented here is one of the largest on the planet.


British museum

Metropolitan Museum The Metropolitan Museum of Art) is located in New York, USA. It was opened in 1872 by a group of progressive Americans, and was originally located at: 5 Avenue, building 681. Later, the museum moved twice, but since 1880 it is still the location of him invariably - this is the Central Park, the fifth Avenue. The Museum Metropolitan Collection includes about 3 million exhibits. These are works of art from all over the world.


Metropolitan Museum

Gallery Uffizi Located in Florence, Italy. This is one of the most famous art museums in the world. He received its name thanks to the Uffizi Square, which is located. The museum is widely represented by painting and sculpture of Italian masters, as well as the works of great creators from all over the world.


Gallery Uffizi

State Hermitage - Therent in Russia. The institution is located in St. Petersburg and has world fame. The collection of the museum began to collect more Russian emperors, and the free access to the Hermitage was opened only in 1863. Ermitage exposures have more than 3 million exhibits. Among them are not only works of art, but also archaeological finds, numismatic material, jewelry. Today the Museum is ranked five buildings: a winter palace, a small Hermitage, an old Hermitage, the Court Theater and the New Hermitage.


State Hermitage. Winter Palace

Museum Prado - The National Museum of Spain, is located in the capital - Madrid. In this museum, a huge collection of works of fine art of European schools is collected.


Museum Prado

Egyptian Museum In Cairo is the legacy of the Great Civilization. For the first time, the exhibit exhibition took place here in 1835. Today is the largest museum of ancient Egyptian art. There are more than 120 thousand unique exhibits, whose age begins with prehistoric times.


Egyptian Museum in Cairo

Madame Tussauds museum In London - exposure known for its uniqueness. More than 400 wax figures were collected here - among them not only historical personality, but also modern stars.

Reynxuseum is the National Art Museum located on the Museum Square in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is one of the main attractions of the city. It was founded in the Hague in 1800, but by order of the King of Holland Louis Bonaparte (Mother Napoleon I Bonaparte) in 1808 was transported to Amsterdam. 8 thousand subjects of art and history are exhibited in the museum, among them the famous canvas of Jan Vermer, França Hals, Rembrandt and his disciples. The main place in the exposition is assigned one of the most famous paintings of the world - "Night Watch" Rembrandt. Here also contains a small Asian collection.


The New York Museum of Contemporary Art is an art museum, founded in 1929. Located in Middle Manhattan in the city of New York. Many people consider the Museum's Collection The world's best meeting of the masterpieces of modern Western art - the museum has more than 150,000 individual works, as well as 22,000 films, 4 million photos, 300,000 copies of books and periodic publications, 70,000 artists files. The collection includes works, without which it is impossible to imagine the art of the 20th century, - "Star Night" Van Gogh, "Dance" Henri Matisse, "Avignon girls" Picasso, "Constancy of Memory" Salvador Dali, "Bird in space" Konstantin Brynkushi. This is one of the main attractions of New York, which annually takes 2.67 million visitors.


The Smithsonian Institute is a complex of museums and research centers located mainly in Washington, DC, USA. It was founded in 1846 by the will of the British Chemist and Mineralog James Smithson who won his state to "increase and disseminate knowledge." The Smithsonian Institute includes 19 Museums, Zoological Park and 9 Research Centers, which contain more than 140 million exhibits (works of art, artifacts and samples).


On the seventh line on the list of the best museums of the world, the museum of natural science is located. This is one of three major museums located in South Kensington, London. Its collection includes more than 70 million exhibits sorted into 5 main sections: botany, entomology, mineralogy, paleontology and zoology. It is known first of all with its collections of dinosaurs skeletons, in particular the famous skeleton of diplomoca (length of 26 meters) in the central hall, as well as an interesting mechanical model of a tyrantosaurus.


Prado is an art museum and art gallery located in Madrid, the capital of Spain. With more than 1.8 million visitors per year, the museum is one of the most visited tourist facilities in Madrid. It was founded in 1819. His collection currently includes about 7,600 paintings, 1 thousand sculptures, 4800 engravings, as well as about 8 thousand other works of art and historical documents. Here is one of the best and most complete collections in the world of paintings of European masters of the XVI-XIX period, such as Bosch, Velasquez, Goya, Murillo, Surbaran, El Greek and others.


Gallery Uffizi - the world-famous art gallery, located in Florence, close to Signoria Square, Italy. This is one of the oldest museums of Europe, as well as one of the largest and most significant museums of European visual art. Here are hundreds of masterpieces of such masters such as Jotto, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Georgeon, Titian, Fir Philippo Lippie and many others. Among the collection, paintings of Italian and Flemish schools prevail. There is also a gallery of self-portrait of famous artists (1600 works) and ancient sculptures.


State Hermitage is one of the largest artistic and cultural and historical museums in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was founded in 1764 Catherine II Great and open to the public in 1852. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe museum is 127,478 m². Collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings located along the Palace Embankment. Hermitage stores more than 2.7 million works of art of various eras, countries and peoples representing the global culture of several millennia. Here also contains the largest collection of paintings in the world. Every year the museum attends about 4 million people.


The British Museum is the main historical and archaeological museum of Great Britain, located in the Bloomsbury district, London. It was founded in 1753, on the collection of a doctor and scientist Sir Hans Slaoan and is open to the public on January 15, 1759. Its permanent collection, there are about 8 million exhibits that document the cultural history of mankind from ancient times to the present day, among them numerous drawings, engravings, medals, coins and books of various eras. Extensive ethnographic collections of the British Museum contains monuments from Africa, America, Oceania, etc. The most famous exhibits are: Egyptian mummies, sculptures from Athenian Parthenon, Rosett Stone, Portland Vase, Sutton Hu treasures and many others.


Louvre is an art museum, the main attraction of the city, located in the heart of Paris on the right bank of the Seine. It is one of the largest and most visited museum in the world (9.26 million visitors for 2014). It was opened on August 10, 1793. It is a complex of buildings with a total area of \u200b\u200b60,600 square meters, which demonstrates 35 thousand works of art from ancient times until the middle of the XIX century. All exhibits are divided into eight categories of ancient Egypt, ancient Middle East, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Islamic art, sculpture, painting, craft, drawing and graphics. In total, about 300,000 exhibits are stored in the Louvre collection.


1