Museums are spaces dedicated to the contemplation of human creation, artistic, archaeological, and historical. Museums are part of our consciousness as a collective and make us remember and learn from the past in every way we can imagine. If you have the opportunity to travel the world, never miss the opportunity to get to know the places you visit through their museums. We list the 10 most important museums:
1. Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia
The Hermitage Museum is located in the cultural heart of Russia and is spread over five buildings: the Winter Palace, the Hermitage Theatre, the Small Hermitage, the Old Hermitage, and the New Hermitage. The set of buildings such as, with their lavish architecture, is part of the attractions of the museum. It began as a museum, in 1764, is because Catherine II did not want any art collection to surpass her own and she began to obsessively acquire works of art at European auctions.
In this museum, we can learn about the history of Russia through art but they also have among their collections works by great masters such as Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Velázquez, Goya, El Greco, Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, Gauguin, and huge list of the greats masters of the arts.
2. Louvre Museum in Paris, France
It was inaugurated in 1793 and began with the art collections of the French monarchy and what was collected during Napoleon’s empire. The building that houses it is the Louvre Palace and the glass pyramid on the esplanade was built in 1989 and serves as a door to enter the premises.
It is the most visited museum in the world and among its collections, we can find some of the most important works in history: the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, Liberty Leading the People by Delacroix, the Wedding at Cana by Veronese, the Venus of Milo (Greece), The Seated Scribe (Egypt) and the Winged Victory of Samothrace (Greece).
3. Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, United States
It is considered one of the most important museums in New York and the USA in general because its collection has more than two million works from all over the world. It opened its doors in 1872 after Robert Lee Jenkins donated his art collection. In this museum, you can see complete Egyptian and Roman temples as well as visit The Cloisters, which are not in the main headquarters, but which house a large collection of medieval art, and the construction itself is a testimony of this era.
4. National Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain
The Prado Museum was inaugurated in 1819 but the building that houses it dates back to 1785. In this museum, there is a large collection of paintings by great Spanish masters such as Velázquez, Goya, Ribera, and Zurbarán as well as other masters such as Raphael, Titian, and Rubens, all collected over the centuries by the Spanish monarchy. One of the most important works in the history of art, Las Meninas by Velázquez, is part of the collection of this museum. If you go to Madrid, this museum is unmissable.
5. National Museum of Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum) in Amsterdam, Netherlands
This museum was founded in 1800 and its importance lies in the fact that it houses in its collections works by the great masters of that country’s Golden Age, for example, Frans Hals, Rembrandt, and Johannes Vermeer, just to mention some of the most important. The truth is that its collection consists of a million pieces not only from the Netherlands but from all over the world, in addition to having a highly valuable collection of crafts and history.
6. Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy
Although the building was completed in 1581, it opened its doors as a museum in 1765. The first works that were part of its collections were those belonging to the Medici family and it is considered one of the most important and oldest art collections in the world. world. All the great Italian masters of painting from all periods have a space in this museum, as well as the great sculptures of ancient Rome and Greece, without leaving aside Spanish, Dutch, and other painters.
The most important masterpieces of this museum are the “Madonna of the Goldfinch” by Raphael, the “Holy Family with San Giovannino” by Michelangelo, the “Medusa” by Caravaggio, “The Birth of Venus” by Botticelli, and “The Annunciation.” by Leonardo da Vinci.
7. British Museum in London, England
It is the largest museum in all of Great Britain and has historical, ethnographic, and archaeological remains from the most ancient times. Its Egyptian room is the second-best collection of this culture in the world, in addition to including the Rosetta Stone. It has vestiges from all continents and its collections include more than eight million objects.
8. Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece
A trip back in time is what you will have if you visit this place. It is located about 300 meters from the Acropolis and houses more than four thousand works including sculptures and other objects. When the building that houses the collections was built, archaeological remains were discovered during excavations and can be observed thanks to its glass floors.
9. Smithsonian Institute Washington, United States
The Smithsonian is the largest museum complex in the world, comprising 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoo, as well as various research institutes. The collections of this museum are the portrait of the history of the United States in every sense, for example, they have among their collection the Wright brothers’ aircraft from 1903 as well as clothing of the first ladies.
10. Tokyo National Museum in Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo National Museum was founded in 1872 and its objective is the conservation, restoration, exhibition, and research of Japanese and Eastern culture in general. Its collection has more than 100 thousand objects, among which 89 national treasures of Japan can be counted. It is one of the largest and most important collections of oriental art in the world and comprises a complex of buildings. Through this museum, you will understand the history of Japan.
Have you already visited any? Which one do you dream of meeting?
This story was originally published in Spanish in Cultura Colectiva
