The Great Museums of the World
One of my earliest childhood memories - crawling up the marble stairs of the Kasteev Museum of Art in Almaty, Kazakhstan. My father and mother often showed their sculptures and paintings in the great hall and brought me along, letting me loose on the gallery floor. Museums to me were enormous halls of wonder which I could peruse without much supervision and on my own terms. Before I learned how to read and fell deeply and irrevocably in love with the world of literature, museums and galleries were my primary sources of education. Full of art and artifacts, they captured my imagination and set it on fire.
Over the years I have had the fortune of visiting some incredible museums all over the world and I wanted to share a shortlist of my favourites for you to enjoy if you ever find yourself in the parts of the globe where they are situated.
THE STATE HERMITAGE MUSEUM , Saint Petersburg, Russia
The State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the largest art museum in the world by gallery space. The Hermitage was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great acquired an impressive collection of paintings from the Berlin merchant Johann Ernst Gotzkowsky.
I spent only a couple of hours at the Hermitage on a fast paced trip to St. Petersburg and definitely long for a second visit. The palace itself is a remarkable gilded piece of art and the artworks housed in its sprawling halls are historically and culturally priceless.
PUSHKIN STATE MUSEUM OF FINE ART, Moscow, Russia
The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The International musical festival Sviatoslav Richter's December nights has been held in the Pushkin Museum since 1981.
I visited the Pushkin Museum with my mother every time we made a trip to Moscow during my childhood. It’s one of my fondest memories of every trip and I greatly looked forward to it again and again. The giant Faberge coffee table book we bought at the museum shop on one of our trips still sits proudly on my mother’s bookshelf.
THE STATE TRETYAKOV GALLERY , Moscow, Russia
The State Tretyakov Gallery is an art gallery in Moscow, Russia, the foremost depository of Russian fine art in the world.
I have been to the Tretyakov Gallery a handful of times. The paintings showcased in its halls are truly magnificent, but what has caught my eye over the years are some of the equally as grand - gold leafed frames the paintings are displayed in. The gallery is a must see if you find yourself in Moscow.
MUSEUM OF SOVIET ARCADE GAMES , Moscow, Russia
The Museum of Soviet Arcade Machines is a private historical interactive museum that keeps a collection of arcade machines that were produced in the USSR from the mid-1970s. April 13, 2007 is considered to be the foundation day of the museum.
This is the smallest and quirkiest of museums I’ve ever been in. It’s definitely the work of an avid collector and fascinating to peruse. This museum is one of a kind.
MUSEU NACIONAL D’ART DE CATALUNYA , Barcelona, Spain
The Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya, abbreviated as MNAC, is the national museum of Catalan visual art located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
The museum and its sprawling gardens are in itself a work of art. I have taken many trips to Barcelona to write and record songs for my band The Noise Revolution and on one of my writing stints I lived just a few blocks away from the National Museum which I enjoyed visiting multiple times during my stay. In the evenings they turned on the singing fountains in front of the museum, accompanied by orchestral music and a synced up lightshow. Crowds would gather to enjoy the evening and watch the show.
MUSEU PICASSO DE BARCELONA, Barcelona, Spain
The Museu Picasso, located in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, houses one of the most extensive collections of artworks by the 20th-century Spanish artist Pablo Picasso. With 4,251 works exhibited by the painter, the museum has one of the most complete permanent collections of works.
Definitely a museum worth a visit while you’re in Barcelona. Picasso’s works need no introduction.
THE BRITISH MUSEUM , London, United Kingdom
The British Museum is a public institution dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London, England. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence, having been widely collected during the era of the British Empire.
Visiting the British Museum was one of the highlights of my trip to London. I am an avid admirer of Egyptian culture and artifacts, and, well, no one has more Egyptian artifacts other than Egypt itself, than the British Museum. Among the museum’s thousands of treasures, lies the legendary Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. It has been the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian texts inscribed in hieroglyphs.
THE NATIONAL GALLERY , London, United Kingdom
The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.
Much like the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the National Portrait Gallery houses some of the world’s greatest classical paintings and is a must see if you are visiting London.
TOKYO NATIONAL MUSEUM, Tokyo, Japan
The Tokyo National Museum or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, is the largest art museum in Japan, and is one of the largest museums in the world.
I had the pleasure of spending an entire day at the National Museum in Tokyo three years ago. Japan is a country incredibly rich in culture, tradition and art. I was blown away by the artworks and tapestries on display at the museum and absolutely loved learning about the samurai culture.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART , New York City, United States
The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments.
I recently went back for a third visit to the MET. The museum houses one of the largest historical musical instrument collections in the world. My partner and I had just 4hrs to run through and enjoy the collections. We absolutely loved our time there. Aside from an unfortunate run in with a rude security staff member which I reported to the MET management, we really enjoyed the day. Going with tradition I purchased a beautiful gold coin necklace from the museum shop to commemorate our trip to New York.
LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ARTS , Los Angeles, United States
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits. LACMA was founded in 1961, splitting from the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art.
In a city famous for it’s glitz, glamour and celebrities, LACMA provides a welcome refuge of art, intellect and culture. I really enjoyed my time there on several visits while I lived in Los Angeles.
THE GETTY, Los Angeles, United States
The Getty Center, in Los Angeles, California, is a campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust. The $1.3 billion Center opened to the public on December 16, 1997 and is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking Los Angeles.
I visited the Getty in 2006 on my first ever trip to Los Angeles. At the time I was more interested in the architecture and the unique geographical placement of the museum far more than the collection itself. Don’t take my word for it, but the place is full of artistic gems. I would love to stop by for a visit again soon.
KASTEEV MUSEUM, Almaty, Kazakhstan
The A. Kasteyev State Museum of Arts is the largest art museum in Kazakhstan, located in Almaty. The museum opened on 16 September 1976, based on the collections of the Shevchenko Kazakh State Gallery and the Republic Museum of Decorative and Applied Art.
This is where it all started. My love for museums and my budding art career at the age of 4, when I used to sell my clay oven fired chicken figurines in the museum shop for a few rubles. Kasteev Museum holds a special place in my heart. I spent many years in the halls of this building and invite anyone who is lucky enough to experience the art and culture of my homeland to pay a visit to this special place.
Museum Description Credit Wikipedia
Photo Credits Unsplash
In Partnership with Tropical Nomad Coworking Space