Art Museums Around the World: Explore Creativity & Culture

An image of the beautifully lit Louvre Museum, one of the famous art museums in Paris.

Several art museums in the world are renowned for their vast collection and exquisite architecture. These museums having historical significance, cultural impact and architectural beauty, attract visitors from across the globe. These places are not just places to praise art and creativity but top cultural institutions that shape the history of various regions. Whether these art museums display ancient artworks or contemporary works of top artists, every museum oaths to preserve the world’s heritage.

Top 10 Art Museums In The World

Here’s a list of the top 10 art museums in the world. Each museum is crucial for visitors around the world and offers insights into the region’s captivating art history.

1. The Museum Of Modern Art, New York

An artwork displaying ‘Moma Highlights’ placed at a glass door in the Moma Art Museum.

Photo: Stef74 / Wikimedia Commons

The Museum Of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan and is considered one of the most influential museums devoted to modern and contemporary art. The collection at MOMA can be traced to the 19th century and displays more than 2,00,000 species of artwork. Drawings, architecture, designs, paintings, sculptures, photography, prints, artist’s books, films and electronic media. This museum is the 4th most visited museum in the States and is a primary source in preserving the history of modern artworks.

Location: The Museum Of Modern Art, 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019, United States
Entry Fees: $30 / ₹2700
Timings: 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM

2. The Louvre Museum, Paris

A glimpse of the iconic Louvre Museum which is one of the art museums in Paris.

Photo: Benh LIEU SONG / Wikimedia Commons

The Louvre Museum is the most-visited national art and crafts museum not only in Paris but globally. This museum is located on the right back of Seine City and displays some of the best works of Canonical Western Art. This museum has gained fame as it houses the famous ‘Mona Lisa’ painting. The Louvre Museum also displays a royal collection belonging to the ancient Romans and Greeks from 1692. Below-ground portions of the medieval Louvre Palace are still visible to visitors.

Location: Louvre Museum, 75001 Paris, France
Entry Fees: Euro 22 / ₹1900
Timings: 9 AM – 6 PM

3. The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York

The entrance and the facade of the huge and renowned, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art.

Photo: Hugo Schneider / Wikimedia Commons

The Metropolitan Museum Of Art is also referred to as MET and is a lovely encyclopedic art museum in New York City. This museum is the fourth largest museum in the world and the largest art museum in the United States visited by hundreds yearly. Its permanent collection has over two million works and is divided into 17 curatorial departments. The Metropolitan Museum Of Art displays the art collection including sculptures, paintings, architecture and artefacts belonging to Medieval Europe.

Location: The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, United States
Entry Fees: $30 / ₹2700
Timings: 10 AM – 5 PM

4. The British Museum, London

An aerial view of the British Museum, one of the most visited art museums in the world.

Photo: Luke Massey / Wikimedia Commons / Image For Representation Only

The British Museum is a public museum in London which is solely dedicated to human history, art, and culture. This museum houses the largest collection of eight million works in the world. The museum typically depicts the story of human culture from its beginning to the present. There are book stacks in the central courtyard and several African collections too. A number of films have been shot at The British Museum and today it is the most visited public museum in the United Kingdom.

Location: The British Museum, Great Russell St, London WC1B 3DG, United Kingdom
Entry Fees: N/A
Timings: 10 AM – 5 PM

5. Vatican Museums, Vatican City

Tourists exploring and climbing the famous ‘Spiral Staircase’ at the Vatican Museums.

Photo: Colin / Wikimedia Commons

The Vatican Museums are the public museums in the Vatican City and they display works from the immense collection which is amassed by the Catholic Church. Because of the museum’s strategic location in the premises of St. Peter’s Basilica, this place is one of the most visited places in the Vatican City. The Vatican Museums displays several Roman sculptures, important masterpieces of Renaissance Art and 70,000 works out of which 20,000 works are on display. The museum has 24 galleries in total.

Location: Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City
Entry Fees: Euro 20 / ₹1900
Timings: 8 AM – 8 PM

6. Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid

Some sculptures and paintings with key highlights displayed in Museo Nacional del Prado.

Photo: Kostas Limitsios / Wikimedia Commons

Museo Nacional del Prado is the main Spanish Art Museum located precisely in Central Madrid and houses the extensive collection of European Art which dates from the 12th Century to the early 20th Century. Museo Nacional del Prado also displays a Spanish Royal Collection and has the single best collection of Spanish Art. This place was primarily founded as the museum of paintings and sculptures and contains about 8,200 drawings, 7,600 paintings, 4,800 prints, 1,000 sculptures and other works of art and historic documents.

Location: Museo Nacional del Prado, Retiro, 28014 Madrid, Spain
Entry Fees: Euro 15/ ₹1450
Timings: 10 AM – 8 PM

7. National Museum Of Korea, Seoul

Tourists entering the premises of the National Palace Museum of Korea, one of the art museums.

Photo: Mobius6 / Wikimedia Commons

The National Museum Of Korea is located in Seoul and is the flagship museum in the Korean history of art. This museum has been committed to various research, study and educational activities, especially in the fields of art, history and archaeology. The first floor of the museum houses the Prehistory and Ancient History Gallery containing nearly 4500 artifacts. The second floor has a donation gallery and a calligraphy and painting gallery containing about 890 pieces. The third floor is a sculpture and craft gallery with 630 pieces that represent Korean Buddhist sculpture and craftwork.

Location: National Museum Of Korea, 137 Seobinggo-ro, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea
Entry Fees: N/A
Timings: 10 AM – 9 PM

8. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

A small green garden in the premises of Van Gogh Museum, the most-visited art museum.

Photo: C messier / Wikimedia Commons

Van Gogh Museum is a stunning Dutch art Museum which is dedicated to the works of Vincent Van Ghogh and contains the largest collection of Van Ghogh’s paintings, drawings and crafts. This museum has the highest number of visitors and there are immersive exhibitions on Van Ghogh’s life and works which are toured by visitors globally. There are 200 paintings, 400 drawings and 700 letters made by the artist displayed. A few of his famous works praised are the Potato Eaters, Almond Blossoms, the Yellow House and Wheatfield With Crows.

Location: Van Gogh Museum, Museumplein 6, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands
Entry Fees: Euro 27 / ₹2500
Timings: 9 AM – 6 PM

9. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

Guggenheim Museum, an architectural marvel located at a calm waterfront in Bilbao, Spain.

Photo: Jose María Ligero Loarte / Wikimedia Commons

Guggenheim Museum is a museum of modern and contemporary art in Bilbao which features both permanent and visiting exhibits of the works of Spanish and international artists. This museum is the largest museum in Spain and has 250 works of contemporary art. Besides the collection, the architecture of the museum is highly praised by visitors. It is built alongside the Nervion River and offers massive views of the same. The interior of the museum is clad in titanium plates which makes it thoroughly different from other museums.

Location: Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Abandoibarra Etorb., 2, Abando, 48009 Bilbao, Bizkaia, Spain
Entry Fees: Euro 15 / ₹1450
Timings: 10 AM – 7 PM

10. The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston

A lavish staircase with ancient vases displayed at a top museum, The Museum of Fine Arts.

Photo: Sintakso / Wikimedia Commons

The Museum Of Fine Arts is the 20th largest art museum in the world and is measured by its public gallery area. This museum displays nearly 161 paintings and 450,000 works of art which makes it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas. The Museum Of Fine Arts. Boston also maintains its online database on its official website with brief information about 346,000 works. Some of the key highlights of the collection are Ancient Egyptian Artifacts, the Nubian Arts, Dutch Golden Age Paintings and French works.

Location: The Museum Of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, United States
Entry Fees: $27 / ₹2500
Timings: 10 AM – 5 PM

The world’s top art museums truly are something more than just displays of artwork. Annually visited by thousands of tourists, these top museums in the world offer a deep understanding of the art history of the respective regions. Visitors can praise the grandeur of the Louvre Museum in Paris and admire the stunning collections at the useum Of Modern Art in New York. Plan a trip with TripXL and appreciate the richness.

Cover Photo: Benh LIEU SONG / Wikimedia Commons

Frequently Asked Questions

The most visited art museum in the world is the Louvre Museum. This museum witnesses 87,00,000 visitors annually and is a stunning masterpiece of architecture in Paris, France.
The United States tops the list in being the home to the maximum number of museums. It has approximately 33,082 museums and art galleries which are highly flocked by tourists.
The world’s wealthiest art institution is The J. Paul Getty Museum, also referred to as Getty. This is an art museum in Los Angeles, California and is housed on two campuses.
Asia’s largest museum is the Indian Museum. This massive museum is located in Central Kolkata, West Bengal and is the largest by the size of the collection it preserves and displays.
The Mona Lisa is the most famous artwork in the world. This painting is on permanent display in Paris at the Louvre Museum, the most visited site in the entire world.

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