What are the most important art museums in Europe?

BradS

Member
Joined
Sep 28, 2004
Messages
8,120
Location
Soulsbyville, California
Format
35mm
Where are the most important paintings in the world?
What are the most important art museums in Europe? and why?

Example: el Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid - it has Picasso's Guernica.

I'm most interested in the major museums in: Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark but please don't feel confined to these countries.
 
Last edited:

GregY

Member
Joined
Apr 12, 2005
Messages
3,336
Location
Alberta
Format
Large Format
I'll start off with an easy one.... The Louvre. As interesting as the art is the history of the building/museum itself. Last time i was there I bought a 400+ page book (in French) on its history. Certainly a museum worth spending several days.....Make sure to spend time in the boutique..... some great books there. Eat in one of the restaurants. It's impossible to absorb the magnitude of the collection(s).
 
Last edited:

Mike Lopez

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2005
Messages
640
Format
Multi Format

Guernica is in La Reina Sofia, not in the Prado. But both museums are well worth seeing, as is the Picasso Museum, which is in Barcelona.

To this day I give my wife a hard time about our time in Madrid. She thought that we had a shot at taking in La Reina and the Prado in the same day. After about 20 minutes in La Reina, it became obvious that we would need multiple days.

I highly recommend all three of these places when in Spain.
 

koraks

Moderator
Moderator
Joined
Nov 29, 2018
Messages
22,775
Location
Europe
Format
Multi Format
Mike Lopez said:
But both museums are well worth seeing
Click to expand...

And walking distance from each other.
The Prado is worthwhile for the Cranach portrait alone, but of course has many notable works in its collection.

The Uffizi in Florence obviously needs to be on the list. And the Vatican museum.
Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum probably, too; the Night Watch continues to draw a crowd. On the same square is the Van Gogh museum with (among others) some of his almond blossom paintings. But the really beautiful Van Goghs are in the Kröller Muller museum some 60 miles away from Amsterdam in a nature reserve. And of course in the Musée d'Orsay, which has a gorgeous collection of impressionists anyway. More enjoyable and interesting overall than the Louvre, although that has its sheer size going for it, of course. And so many, many more.
 

Sirius Glass

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 18, 2007
Messages
50,359
Location
Southern California
Format
Multi Format
Louvre
Uffizi
Vatican museum
Van Gogh museum
Rijksmuseum
Musée d'Orsay
Picasso Museum
. . .

There are just so many truly great museums in Europe the list could go on almost forever. By the way I remember when the d'Orsay was a train station.
 

4season

Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2015
Messages
1,981
Format
Plastic Cameras
Do you have any particular area of interest?

It's been ages since I've been in Europe, and doubt that I've seen 10% of the Louvre (Mona Lisa, of course), only recall fragments of the Vatican, and as part of a tour group, got herded to the Nightwatch at Rijksmuseum, but felt like I barely scratched the surface. Even now, I can only absorb so much art before it becomes a blur.

Were I to jump across the pond now, I could see wanting to check out:

The Louisiana Museum in Denmark, with it's emphasis on contemporary artists.

Hergé Museum in Belgium, but if Tintin's not your thing, I dunno.
 

Rob Skeoch

Advertiser
Advertiser
Joined
Apr 25, 2005
Messages
1,346
Location
Grand Valley, Ontario
Format
35mm RF
A lot of great ones but I always stop in at the Academy in Florence when I'm in town. The David is one of the great sculptures of all time and I can't image being in the area and not stopping by to say hello.

Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze ​

 

Tel

Subscriber
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
965
Location
New Jersey
Format
Multi Format
I’m a particular fan of the Orsay—I spent several days there some years ago.
 

albireo

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Messages
1,407
Location
Europe
Format
Multi Format
The old and new National galleries in Berlin have to be on this list. The new Humboldt Forum is also interesting apparently, but I haven't personally visited it yet.

If your definition of art encompasses also ethnic art and ethnographic collections, then the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford, UK, is an absolute jewel and well worth visiting.
 

gary mulder

Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2006
Messages
126
Format
4x5 Format
It depends on if you’r locking for expending the context from how you lock at art. Than the usual top museum's will be the paces to go. But if you already know what makes you tick then there will be other places on your list.
My very personal list;
Museibologna Italy Morandi
Alhambra Palace Granada Spain.
The ruins of Paestum Italy.
The Bauhaus Museum Dessau
 

hardly any color

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2022
Messages
30
Location
New York City
Format
Multi Format
It really depends on your interests and what YOU consider as great art. Are there any painters whose work is more appealing to you? Certain periods? Specific schools? Try to refine your criteria and research where those are shown, what current exhibitions are available while you are visiting, and go from there. Otherwise you will be relying on a random list made by random people
 

loccdor

Subscriber
Joined
Jan 12, 2024
Messages
1,503
Location
USA
Format
Multi Format
The Vatican's museum has a huge and impressive collection. But I found the inside of St. Peter's Basilica even more amazing. It's not exactly a museum but it has many very famous sculptures and artwork.

The museum at the Acropolis in Athens has less of a collection than you might expect, because much of the art of Greek origin has been taken into the museums of other countries. For example, the Venus de Milo (Aphrodite of Milos) is in the Louvre. I visited the island of Milos this year, they have a replica of the statue there.

You'll often find small (sometimes one room) museums on Greek islands, there's one in Astypalea - they can have quite amazing ancient artifacts for places with only a few hundred permanent residents. The museum manager told us that most of it was found buried in the backyards of farmers and there is more being revealed all the time.
 

bernard_L

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
2,031
Format
Multi Format
Kodachromeguy said:
Don't forget the Hermitage in St Petersburg. It's incredible what the Czars accumulated.
Click to expand...
Not only the czars, but some wealthy merchants, with an excellent eye, at the key period of impressionism and the following movements up to WWI.
Sergueï Chtchoukine. Estimated (Sotheby's) current value of his collection: 7Bn€.
Ivan Morozov. Saw a sampling of his collection "in person" a few years ago at Fondation Louis Vuitton (Paris). Amazing.
These two collections are now split between the Hermitage and the Pushkin museum (Moscow).
 

bernard_L

Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
2,031
Format
Multi Format
In the Prado, among many marvelous paintings, what struck me the most was the The Garden of Earthly Delights seen in person.

While in Madrid, if you have time to spare, visit the Thyssen-Bornemisza museum. I was amazed that such a systematic collection of classical paintings could be assembled as a private initiative.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…