The 10 best American art museums that should appear on your bucket list

Travel and art experts recommend their best choices for an art and culture solution.


You have seen famous paintings and sculptures in books, on television and on social networks, but nothing like taking great works of art in real life. And if you are looking to extend your artistic horizons, there are a wide variety of art museums across the country. Certain institutions, such as the Art Institute of Chicago and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, are vast and global, while others, such as the anchorage museum in Alaska, are more specialized. To learn more about These creative destinations And to see where you want to plan your next trip, read more to hear experts on the 10 best art museums in the United States

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The 10 best American art museums

1. Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Chicago
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If you want to see some of the most recognizable works of art, there are few places better than Art Institute of Chicago . Not only the museum houses some of the most famous paintings in the world (such as Grant the woods American Gothic and Pablo Picasso The old guitarist ), but it is also well known to present modern works, including Obama portraits , which was hosted at the museum for several months in 2021.

"The permanent collection has increased to nearly 300,000 works of art in fields ranging from Chinese bronzes to contemporary design and textiles to installation art", explains Shannon Palmer , Deputy Director of Public Affairs of the Institut de l'Art. "Today, the museum, one of the oldest and the largest art museums in the world, is known for its vast collections of 19th century French paintings, impressionist works in particular and paintings and sculptures of the XXth century."

The museum is located in the largest park in the city, Grant Park, in the heart of the city center, making it a practical destination. When you have finished, head to Anish Kapoor Famous sculpture "Bean" Cloud door in the park.

2. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.
LNP / Shutterstock images

Boston Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Was developed by the personal collection of his namesake, who was passionate about art collector and philanthropist and opened the house to the public in 1903. Today, he presents an impressive collection of thousands of works, including paintings of Titian ,, Rebrandt , and Bootticelli .

"Walking in the museum can want to explore a miniature Versailles," said Bryn Culbert , a low -budget travel expert in Wanderu. "The homonym of the museum, Isabella Stewart Gardner , lived in the gallery at the beginning of the 20th century, and some pieces have sofas, dining tables and offices that humanize space. ""

But the museum is probably better known for a Flight in 1990 , in which 13 of his work, worth around $ 500 million, have been stolen and have still not been recovered. There is currently an $ 10 million award for flight information.

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3. La Villa Getty

The Getty Villa
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Villa Getty In Malibu, California, is only part of the J. Paul Getty museum, with the main campus located in the Brentwood district of Los Angeles. But the Getty Villa contains enough works of art to stand out. AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

"This museum offers 44,000 works of Roman and Greek art exclusively, and what distinguishes it is that art is housed in a house by the Roman sea recreated on a large scale with courses, fountains and sumptuous gardens ", explains" Alanna Koritzke , a travel blogger at Periodic adventures . "It's like an art museum, a botanical garden and an architectural experience that all rolled in one."

The museum is so famous for its collection that it also serves as a home campus of the University of California, a program of higher education in Los Angeles in archaeological and ethnographic conservation.

4. Delaware art museum

Outside view of the Delaware Art Museum.
Photograph by Florain Holzherr / Wiki Commons

As a first state in the United States, it is logical that there is a collection dedicated to secular art in Delaware, which is at the Delaware art museum In the largest city in the state, Wilmington.

"The Delaware Museum of Art is recognized as having one of the most complete collections of the British pre-Raphaelite art in the world", explains Eric Ruth of Visit Delaware . "The collection focuses on American art and the illustration from the 19th to the 21st century and on the pre -raphaélite English movement of the fraternity of the mid -19th century."

The museum is also loved by visitors for its labyrinth accessible on foot in the sculpture garden.

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5. Clark Art Institute

Reflecting Pool at Clark Art Institute
Quiggyt4 / Shutterstock

Several times, art museums are a way to enjoy culture while traveling in different cities, but Clark Art Institute , in Williamstown, Mass, is a destination in itself. The museum is an ideal place to appreciate impressionism - an artistic movement that invites viewers to discover the perception of the artist of nature and the parameters that surround them, because of the place where it is.

"The Clark is located on a magnificent 140 -acres campus in the magnificent Berkshires of western Massachusetts, in a setting that preserves wood and meadows and invites visitors to walk more than five miles of trails through spectacular landscapes "" Victoria Saltzman , the museum's communications director.

It also has a library with more than 285,000 volumes on art and art history to visitors to travel.

6. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Istock / Peterspiro

There are few museums like The Metropolitan Museum of Art , the largest art museum in the Americas. He has more than two million works in his large collection, which presents pieces made during Greek antiquity and ancient Egypt. The MET is also well known for the Met Gala, a fundraising on the annual theme which collects funds for the museum and attracts some of the largest celebrities in the world.

"It is the largest museum in the United States, and you can easily spend several days inside due to the number of works of art," explains Jon Stephens , a travel expert and the director of operations at Raquette vacation rental . "There are pieces from around the world and some of the best known artists in history."

Not only is the MET is one of the best art museums, but it is also an emblematic institution in New York. Located opposite the famous Central Park, it was built in 1880 in the Gothic revival style.

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7. Peabody Museum Essex

East India Square in front of Peabody Essex Museum PEM at 161 Essex Street in historic city center of Salem, Massachusetts
Wangkun Jia / Shutterstock

Established for the first time over two centuries ago, the Peabody Essex Museum In Salem, Mass, increased its long history to become one of the largest art museums in North America. Today, it is best known for its large Asian art collection in China, Japan, Korea and India, as well as a large collection of Amerindian and maritime art. It is also a hub for information on the local history of Salem.

"The Peabody Essex museum emphasizes local history," explains Leslie Carbon , native of Salem and travel blogger at Lesing sunset . "There is a permanent exhibition on the" Salem stories ". The museum also maintains several Salem buildings listed on the national register of historic places and offers a 90 -minute audio foot tour exploring witch tests."

8. Anchorage museum

Anchorage Museum
Eqroy / Shutterstock

Some of the best museums in the country are the most hyper -focused, such as the Museum anchorage , who specializes in the art of Alaska. A majority of the museum collection focuses on Alaska landscape paintings and contemporary artists' works, including Sydney Laurence , the most famous landscape painter in the state.

An advantage of visiting the anchorage museum is that it also has exhibitions that focus on history, ethnology, ecology and science. Its collection of artifacts of Alaska Alagship Aboriginal peoples celebrates indigenous culture.

"Visitors discover the richness and variety of indigenous indigenous artifacts in Alaska on loan from the Smithsonian Institution", explains Kathy Dunn , the vice-president of communications to Visit Anchorage . "The Smithsonian has lent the artefacts so that they can be in their place of origin; collaboration is the largest and longest loan in the institution. Live our cultures The exhibition presents historical treasures of more than 600 native artifacts from Alaska. ""

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9. Museum of Modern Art

Museum of Modern Art
Anton_ivanov / Shutterstock

Is it surprising that New York has an overwhelming number of art museums? While the Met has classic works imbued with history, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) also deserves a visit to see more contemporary works of art. Some of the famous paintings of the last centuries include Andy Warhol's Campbell's Soup Cans ,, Vincent Van Gogh The starry Night , and Piet Mondrian Broadway Boogie-Woogie .

"The Museum of Modern Art ... is a very acclaimed gallery with a rich collection of more than 200,000 paintings, drawings and sculptures", explains Emily Clare , the publisher at Art tutorials . "It houses some of the most evocative and most important works of art in modern history from the 19th century."

10. Museo de Arte y Disseño de Miramar

Artwork by Suzi Ferrer at the Museo de Arte y Diseno de Miramar in Puerto Rico
Carmenesparzaamoux / Wiki Commons

At Museo de Arte y Disseño de Miramar ("Museum of Art and Design of Miramar" in English) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Art is not only inside. The museum is located inside a historic French neoclassical renewal house, which previously belonged by Judge Luis Méndez Vaz and his wife María Bagur .

This museum is not filled with historical paintings or noted sculptures: instead, it houses conceptions and pieces that were important for the Puerto Rican people and celebrate the culture of the middle class of the island.

"The selection exposed in permanent galleries is inspired by the types of furniture and objects - whether produced locally or imported - which reflect the lifestyles of the middle class at Puerto Rico from the middle of the 20th century" Xiomara Rodríguez , the communications director for Discover Porto Rico . "Although these objects are not what we generally consider works of" high art ", these are functional and decorative works that show the changes to Puerto Rico under the influence of modernism and its philosophy of" progress designed ”.


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