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LANDMARKS THE WORLD
Top 10
Art Museums to Visit
Take in some world-class works of art at these cultural institutions, from New York to Tokyo and beyond.
By Bree Sposato
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
1 Musée d’Orsay Paris
Degas’ ballerinas, van Gogh’s Starry Night Over the Rhone, Cézanne’s still lifes—all are on display at the premier museum of Impressionism in France, if not the world. It’s located in the Beaux-Arts former Orsay railway station, across the Seine from the Tuileries Garden, and retains the station’s original soaring glass ceiling and great hall. musee-orsay.fr
2 Getty Center Los Angeles
Clad in Italian travertine, this Richard Meier–designed complex in the hills of Los Angeles affords views stretching to the Pacific Ocean. To get here, either walk or take a tram up the steep slope from the parking lot. Within its airy pavilions you’ll find Impressionist paintings by the likes of Édouard Manet and, scattered around the
estate, sculptures by such greats as Joan Miró and Isamu Noguchi. getty.edu
3 Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City
The Met is the largest museum in the western hemisphere, having a collection
of more than 2 million items spanning antiquity to the present. More than 6 million people annually pass through its galleries. Its Egyptian collection showcases the Temple of Dendur (c. 23–c. 10 B.C.), while European paintings include works by Degas, Rembrandt and Vermeer. metmuseum.org
4 The National Gallery London
Paintings from the mid-13th century to
the early 20th hang on the walls of this Trafalgar Square landmark. The west wing turns the spotlight on the High Renaissance (Michelangelo, Titian and Raphael). In
the east wing, 18th- and 19th-century British artists, such as Gainsborough, Constable and Turner, take centre stage. nationalgallery.org.uk
5 Tokyo National Museum Tokyo
If you have time for only one museum in Tokyo, make it this one. The oldest and largest art museum in Japan holds the world’s largest collection of Japanese art and archeological artifacts. Explore the three-storied, newly renovated Tõyõkan (Gallery of Eastern Antiquities), with its collection of Buddhist sculptures and Chinese ceramics from Asia. momat.go.jp
6 Art Institute of Chicago Chicago
Home to such paintings as Grant Wood’s American Gothic, the Art Institute of Chicago is itself a masterpiece. The 1893
10 MAY 2016