Would you like to see a 12-meter-long skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex? And how about beautiful paintings, painted by such great masters as Van Gogh ( Van Gogh), Salvador Dali and Leonardo da Vinci? All these collections of artifacts and art help tell the story of life on this planet. This story is truly exciting, full of drama, miracles, beauty and mysteries. Therefore, it is not at all surprising that so many people visit museums! Below are the twenty-five most visited museums in the world.
25. " State Museum, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands (2.5 million visitors annually)
The Rijksmuseum, located on Museum Square in Amsterdam, is a museum dedicated to the art and history of the Netherlands. The entire museum collection numbers a million items, spanning the time period from 1200 to the present. However, visitors can only view 8,000 items at a time.
24. National Folk Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea (2.7 million visitors annually) 
The National Folk Museum of Korea, founded by the US government in 1945, boasts an impressive collection of items illustrating the history and traditions of the Korean people. The museum, located in Seoul, is divided into three main exhibition halls.
23. " State Hermitage Museum", St. Petersburg, Russia (2.9 million visitors annually)
The State Hermitage, founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, is one of the largest and oldest museums in the world. Its collections, of which only a small part is on public display, number more than three million items, including works by such masters as Renoir, Monet, Van Gogh, Velázquez, Michelangelo and Goya.
22. "New York Museum" contemporary art» (Museum of Modern Art), New York, USA (3.1 million visitors annually)
The New York Museum of Modern Art, located in Manhattan, New York, is considered the most influential museum of modern art in the world. The museum has extensive collections of paintings, books, sculptures, photographs, architectural masterpieces and so on. More than 3 million people visit it annually.
21. Reina Sofia National Museum, Madrid, Spain (3.2 million visitors annually) 
The National Museum of the Reina Sofía, officially known as the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, is the largest and most visited museum in Spain. It is located in Madrid and is dedicated mostly to Spanish art. In particular, the museum boasts an amazing collection of works by Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali.
20. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, UK (3.2 million visitors annually)
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, named after Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design. The museum covers more than 5,000 years of art history. It houses a permanent collection of 4.5 million items.
19. Science Museum, London, UK (3.4 million visitors annually)
Founded in 1857, the Science Museum is another famous museum located in London. The Science Museum has a collection of over 300,000 objects and is the fifth most visited museum in the UK. More than 3.4 million people visit it annually.
18. Orsay Museum (Musée d´Orsay), Paris, France (3.5 million visitors annually)
The Musée d'Orsay, originally built as a railway station, houses the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist masterpieces in the world. Among them are works by such artists as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne, Gauguin and Van Gogh. It is the third most visited in France, attracting over 3.5 million visitors a year.
17. National Museum of Korea, Seoul, South Korea (3.5 million visitors annually)
The National Museum of Korea, established in 1945, is the most important museum in Korea and a major attraction in Seoul as well as the entire country. This museum is dedicated to Korean history and art, has a collection of more than 310,000 unique items.
16. “French State Museum of Modern Art” (Musée National d´Art Moderne), Paris, France (3.7 million visitors annually) 
The French State Museum of Modern Art, part of the Georges Pompidou cultural center, is a museum of modern French art. This museum has a collection of more than 100,000 works by 6,400 artists, and the second largest collection of modern art in the world, after the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
15. National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, USA (3.9 million visitors annually) 
The National Gallery of Art, located in Washington DC, houses a vast collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculptures, medals, and decorative arts. The museum is open to the public and admission is free. Here is the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas.
14. National Museum American history» (National Museum of American History), Washington DC, USA (4 million visitors annually) 
The National Museum of American History, part of the Smithsonian Institution, collects, preserves and displays the United States' wealth of heritage. It receives 4 million visitors annually. It is the fourth most visited museum in the country.
13. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai, China (4.2 million visitors annually)
The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, located in Shanghai, is a major museum offering 13 major exhibitions and 4 science theaters. It covers an area of almost 100 thousand square meters and is the second largest museum in China.
12. "American Museum" natural history» (American Museum of Natural History), New York, USA (5 million visitors annually) 
The American Museum of Natural History, located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York, has enormous collections containing more than 32 million specimens of plants, human remains, animals, fossils, rocks and more. It consists of 27 interconnected buildings and is one of the largest museums in the world.
11. Natural History Museum, London, UK (5.4 million visitors annually)
The Natural History Museum in London, which has 80 million specimens of these scientific fields as botany, entomology, mineralogy, palaeontology and zoology, it is the fourth most visited museum in the UK. Founded in 1881, this museum is particularly famous for its display of dinosaur skeletons.
10. National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan (5.4 million visitors annually)
The Imperial Palace Museum in Taipei City, originally founded as the Imperial Palace Museum in Beijing's Forbidden City in 1925, on this moment is the most important national museum in Taiwan. This museum spans over 10,000 years Chinese history, has a permanent collection of 700,000 ancient Chinese artifacts and art objects.
9. Tate Modern, London, UK (5.8 million visitors annually)
Tate Modern, located in the London Borough of Southwark, is Britain's national gallery of international contemporary art. The gallery's exhibition spaces span seven floors, attracting almost 5.8 million visitors a year, making it the third most visited museum in the UK and the ninth most visited in the world.
8. Vatican Museums, Vatican City (5.9 million visitors annually)
Founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century, the Vatican Museums boast vast collections of works and artifacts from centuries of Roman Catholic Church. The collections include some of the most famous classical sculptures, as well as works visual arts Renaissance.
7. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA (6.1 million visitors annually)
Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a permanent collection of more than 2 million works, divided into seventeen curatorial departments. With an area of approximately 190,000 square meters, it is the largest museum in the United States and one of the largest in the world.
6. London National Gallery, London, UK (6.4 million visitors annually)
The London National Gallery, located in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London, is an art museum with a collection of over 2,300 paintings ranging in age from the mid-13th century to the 1900s. The gallery boasts works of art painted by some of the most famous artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and Van Gogh.
5. National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC, USA (6.7 million visitors annually) 
The National Air and Space Museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, boasts the most extensive collection of historic aircraft in the world. Founded in 1946, this museum receives 6.7 million visitors annually. In 2014, it became the fifth most visited museum in the world.
4. British Museum, London, UK (6.7 million visitors annually)
The British Museum, founded in 1753, is dedicated to human history and culture. Its permanent collection numbers approximately 8 million works and is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. As the most visited museum in the UK, this museum displays and documents the history of human culture from its beginnings to the present day.
3. National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA (7.3 million visitors annually) 
The National Museum of Natural History is the most visited museum in the United States. It has a stunning collection of 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, rocks, meteorites, human artifacts and other objects. It is open 364 days a year and is free to visit. There are 185 professional natural history scientists working here.
2. National Museum of China, Beijing, China (7.5 million visitors annually)
The National Museum of China, dedicated to its art and history, is only 12 years old, but the museum has already amassed a collection of more than 1 million objects. It is the second most visited museum in the world with 28 new exhibition halls. In 2013, 7.5 million people visited this museum.
A unique opportunity to travel through time and space is provided by museums where exhibits of various national cultures, created by the hands of both modern masters and famous ancestors. The topic of the article is the most famous and great museums in the world that you should visit.
general review
What criteria are used as a basis?
- One of the most important is attendance. The leader is the French Louvre, whose record is approaching 10 million people. In second place is the British Museum (about 8 million). The Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA) and the Vatican Museum occupy third and fourth place in the ranking, respectively. Each of them exceeded the attendance threshold of 6 million.
- Footprint. The leader here is again the Louvre, although officially it is given third position (160 thousand square meters). Formally, it is ahead of, for example, the Art Museum of Japan (Tokyo), but the exhibition area of the Louvre is the most impressive (58 thousand square meters).
- The world's greatest museums are defined by the number of exhibits and their historical value.
- Another criterion is the choice of travelers. The Traveller's Choice competition is held annually, with the nomination “Museums of the World”. In 2016, the ranking was topped by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the top ten included the Art Institute of Chicago, the Hermitage (third position) and the very young September 11 Museum (USA), opened in 2013. His exhibitions are dedicated to the tragic events in New York.
Greatest Louvre (France)
Before becoming a museum, the Louvre was a fortress and then the residence of the kings of France. His exhibitions were presented to the public in 1793, during the Great bourgeois revolution. Unique collection was formed by King Francis I and was constantly replenished. Its treasuries today contain more than 300 thousand exhibits, 35 thousand of which are simultaneously exhibited to visitors: from Egyptian and Phoenician antiquities to modern sculptures and jewelry.
Most Valuable works of art- these are statues of Venus de Milo and Nike of Samothrace, Delacroix and the great Rembrandt. Art lovers come to see the masterpiece outstanding master Revival of Leonard da Vinci - "Mona Lisa". In 1911, the painting was stolen by an Italian from Perugia, but was returned 27 months later after lengthy negotiations with Italy. All greatest museums peace ensure the safety of paintings. “Mona Lisa” is the only exhibit that is not insured by the state, because it is considered priceless.
Today the museum, located on the Rue de Rivoli in the center of Paris, includes the Old and New Louvre. In 1989, the American Yong Min Pei implemented a project to unite the Louvre into a single complex. A special entrance in the form of a glass pyramid was built, allowing the number of visitors to triple.
British Museum (London)
The date of its foundation (1753) is impressive. The collection began with the doctor Hans Sloan, a collector of ancient manuscripts, books, plants and medals. Today it is the largest historical and archaeological repository in Great Britain, where about 13 million exhibits are collected. They are located in 100 galleries according to territorial and chronological criteria. The pearls of the exhibition are the Parthenon marbles, attributed to the Greek sculptor Pheidias, who made it possible to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and a piece of beard Great Sphinx from Giza. The world's greatest museums have built rich collections by plundering colonial countries.
In the 19th century, the old building was demolished, and in its place, architect Robert Smike built a unique building in the neoclassical style. Located in the Bloomsbury area, it underwent redevelopment in the 20th century (Foster's project), acquiring a modern look. A special feature of the museum is the creation on its basis in 1972 of a separate structure - the British Library.
Vatican Museums - a single complex
It is generally accepted that the complex occupies the most significant territory. The impression is formed due to the high density of exhibits per unit area. The entire Vatican is located on just half a square kilometer, while the museum's fund includes 50 thousand paintings, sculptures and jewelry. All the greatest museums in the world (photos presented in the article) have unique features.
The main shrine of this is The Sistine Chapel, where since the 15th century it has been painted with frescoes by the great Michelangelo, it is the crown of the creation of human hands. To get there, you need to go through dozens of museum halls, enjoying the splendor of Catholic churches, tombs and paintings by Raphael and other artists.
The small state itself can be considered as a single museum architectural monuments, the construction of which began in the 14th century.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA)
The New York Museum ranks first among Traveller's Choice winners, although it was founded in a later period - in 1870. It began with private collections donated to the state and exhibited in the premises of the dance school. At the turn of the century, the architect Hyde built the main building , and a little later - the side wings of the Metropolitan Museum, representing a number of buildings from different times. They are connected by stairs and passages, storing 3 million works of art. The largest collection was created by the Costume Institute.
Not all of the world's greatest museums, described in the article, can boast of hosting large-scale events, such as the annual Met Gala charity ball with the participation of world stars. In 2016, the Costume Institute celebrated its 70th anniversary.
National Prado Museum
The paintings of the great Spaniards are presented in Madrid. The National Museum was founded in 1785 and has collected large-scale collections of paintings by Goya, Velazquez, Zurbaran and El Greco. There are also works by great Italian and Flemish masters, examples of ancient coins, jewelry and porcelain. Since 1819, the museum has been housed in the current building, designed in the classicist style (architect Villanueva), and is open to visitors. On an area of 58 thousand square meters. meters, 1,300 works are exhibited, and the rest (more than 20 thousand) are stored in storage rooms.
The world's greatest museums often have branches. Contemporary Prado art is presented in the Villahermosa Palace. A special feature of the Spanish museum is the restrained elegance of the buildings, in contrast to the Louvre and the Hermitage, which we will discuss below.
Hermitage (St. Petersburg)
The name is translated from French as a secluded place, but today it is one of the most visited in the world. Founded by Catherine in late XVIII century, the museum has the title of the best in 2014. Under Nicholas I, the collection became so large that the doors of the Imperial Palace opened to the public. Today, 3 million works of art delight the eyes of visitors, telling the story since the Stone Age. Of particular interest are the Diamond and Gold vaults of the Hermitage, where an additional ticket is required.
Great Russian museums are located in buildings that have cultural and historical significance for the country. The Hermitage consists of five buildings located on the banks of the Neva (Palace Embankment). The luxurious Winter Palace in the Baroque style by the architect B. Rastrelli is the decoration of St. Petersburg and the greatest historical monument.
The Grand Egyptian Museum will open in Giza in 2015. It will be built next to the famous pyramids. It is planned that it will become one of the largest museums in the world (its area should be about 480 thousand sq. m).
The museum will house more than 120 thousand artifacts reflecting the history of Egypt over the past 7 thousand years, as well as all the treasures from the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. In addition, it will be the largest center of Egyptology in the world, as well as the largest restoration center in the Middle East.
The Grand Egyptian Museum promises to become no less significant a place than other major museums in the world. Let's remember the most famous of them.
Louvre, Paris
A week is not enough to visit the entire museum.
Once upon a time, the Louvre was an ancient castle of the French kings. It was built in 1790 by King Philip Augustus. It was opened as a museum on November 8, 1793. The Louvre occupies an area of approximately 195 thousand square meters. m and has a total exhibition area of 60,600 sq. m. It exhibits 400 thousand exhibits.
For the convenience of visitors, the museum is divided into seven parts: departments of applied art, painting, sculpture and graphics, an ancient Egyptian department, a department of the Ancient East and Islamic art, as well as a department of art of Greece, Rome and the Etruscan Empire. A week is not enough to get around all this. Therefore, for tourists who, as a rule, only have a day to spare, there are special signs leading to the main treasures of the Louvre (for example, La Gioconda by Leonardo Da Vinci).
Vatican Museum, Rome
Another largest museum in the world - the Vatican Museum - 1,400 halls, 50 thousand objects - to see all the exhibits on display, you will need to walk 7 km.
Of course, most visitors want to go straight to the Sistine Chapel, which is decorated with Michelangelo's paintings, but you can only get there by passing many other places. You should start from the Egyptian Museum, then head to the Belvedere, then to the Stanzas of Raphael and finally see that same chapel.
British Museum, London
The exhibits presented in the museum were obtained in a not very honest way.
The British Museum was founded on June 7, 1753 on the initiative of the government, and 6 years later it was opened to visitors. It was based on three large collections.
The museum is called the Museum of Stolen Masterpieces and the Museum of All Civilizations. Both names appeared for a reason. Some of the museum's exhibits were obtained in a less than honest manner. For example, the Rosetta Stone, with the help of which scientists were able to decipher hieroglyphs, was taken in Egypt from Napoleon's army.
Initially, the museum was conceived as a collection of cultural and artistic objects. Ancient Greece And Ancient Rome, but today it has rooms dedicated to the East and many European countries.
National Museum of Nature and Science of Japan, Tokyo
The Tokyo Museum was founded in 1871. It includes a Global Gallery, dedicated to the planet as a whole, and a Japan Gallery.
The basis of the Global Gallery's exhibition is natural science exhibits: stuffed animals, remains of dinosaurs, their modern models, and so on. You can also conduct independent experiments in physics here.
The gallery has a “forest” hall and its own botanical garden, where you can appreciate all the richness of the flora of our planet.
The Japan Gallery, of course, features exhibits of the natural world of Japan and a 3D cinema with a 360-degree viewing angle, which shows films about the origin of the universe, the world of dinosaurs, continental drift and food chains.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the second most visited museum in the world and the largest site on the Museum Mile, located in New York City between Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. It was on this mile that they were collected best museums America.
The museum was founded in 1870 by a group of American businessmen and art lovers, and opened to the public two years later. It is based on a collection of 174 works of European painting.
You can find literally everything here: from Paleolithic artifacts to pop art. There are rare collections of art from Africa and Oceania, the Middle East and Egypt. It also houses a special hall with clothes worn by residents of all five continents for seven centuries.
Prado Museum, Madrid
Here you can see paintings by Raphael and Bosch.
Another of the largest and most important museums in the world is the Spanish Prado. It was founded in 1819. A significant part of its exhibition was collected by the royal family and the church.
In the museum you can see paintings by Raphael and Bosch, El Greco and Velazquez, Botticelli and Raphael, as well as Titian and many other recognized masters.
State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg
The Hermitage is the largest art, cultural and historical museum not only in Russia, but throughout the world. It is a complex complex of six buildings. The main exhibition is located in the legendary Winter Palace.
It owes its origins private collection Empress Catherine II. The founding date of the museum is considered to be 1764, when Catherine acquired a large collection of Western European paintings. The museum was opened to visitors in 1852.
Today the Hermitage houses more than three million works of art and cultural monuments.
It doesn’t matter whether young guys and girls are traveling full of energy or measured ones, wise people more mature age, wherever the tourist goes to aristocratic Europe, majestic Russia, ancient Africa or young America, everywhere along the route there will be famous museums of the world.
Museums of Europe
Formerly a palace, the Louvre has fascinating architecture, but is first and foremost an art museum for the world. Initially, the Louvre had only 2,500 paintings, while now its collection has exceeded 6,000 paintings. Rembrandt, da Vinci, Rubens, Titian, Poussin, David, Enger, Delacroix, Reni, Caravaggio and this is only a small part of the famous artists whose paintings are stored in the famous museum of Europe. In addition to paintings, the Louvre owns a wonderful collection of sculptures, furniture, jewelry and utensils from different times and eras, and also shows tourists the unique interiors of famous historical figures. All this allows the Louvre to bear the title of the most famous museum in Europe.
The British Museum in London is included in any list of famous museums in the world. Not only is he on the list ancient museums world, but offers to get acquainted with exhibits collected on seven continents and having more than one thousand years of history. It houses relics of ancient Egypt, objects of applied art from 17th-century France, the Rosetta Stone, sculptures of Greece, Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and even the famous stones from Easter Island.
Among the famous museums of the world, the Vatican Museum occupies a worthy place, standing out from the rest not only for its religiosity, but also for its 22 separate collections of masterpieces. Having examined the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, Raphael's apartments, Vatican Pinakothek, it is impossible to remain indifferent. Non-religious people, representatives of scientific views, will be able to admire the collection of geographical maps exhibited here.
Also among the museums of Europe worthy of attention:
1. Uffizi Gallery in Florence, which owns the most incredible collection of paintings and sculptures in the world;
2. Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which houses Rembrandt’s masterpiece “The Night Watch”;
3. The Prado Museum in Madrid, which has an amazing collection of Spanish art;
4. Dresden Art Gallery, which survived the bombing of World War II.
Museums of Russia
All art museums in the world bow down to the collection of paintings presented in the Hermitage, which is rightfully recognized as the largest. The founder of the collection of paintings was Catherine II, and today it numbers approximately 60 thousand paintings. With more than three million exhibits and seven separate buildings, it is not surprising that the Hermitage has taken its rightful place among the most famous museums in the world. Canvases, precious stones, archaeological finds different eras, furniture items Tsarist Russia, personal belongings Russian Tsars- the number of exhibits is amazingly diverse.
You cannot visit Moscow without visiting the State Tretyakov Gallery, the most famous museum in Russia, which will first of all introduce you to art school Russian masters. These are paintings by Vrubel, Shishkin, Perov, Malevich. The museum exhibits paintings covering classical schools iconography and bold avant-garde. Tretyakov Gallery houses the largest collection of fine art of the Russian nation, it numbers 57 thousand works.
Museums of Africa and America
Egyptian culture is not only one of the most ancient, but also mysterious in the world, so it is not surprising that the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is on the list of the most visited, and therefore the most famous, museums in the world. Here is the most complete collection of masterpieces and archaeological finds Egyptian culture approximately 120 thousand exhibits. In this museum you can find objects with a history of five thousand years, admire the wealth of Ancient Egypt, and see with your own eyes the mummy of Pharaoh Ramses II the Great.
The history of the existence of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York began with the desire of businessmen to introduce ordinary Americans to the treasures of world art, because it was private collections that formed the basis of the museum’s exhibits. Initially, the museum was positioned as an art museum, however, today it occupies a worthy place among the art museums of the world. Exhibits of ancient cultures, as well as works of art by modern masters are exhibited here. It is worth noting that the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most famous art museum in the United States of America.
But how can you visit these museums without spending all your savings? There is an exit!. Additionally, we can collect information about attractions and countries around the world in order to create the optimal travel route.
220 years ago, in November 1793, the most visited and one of the largest art museums in the world, the Louvre, opened to the general public. In honor of this event, we talk about him and other most popular museums peace.
1. Louvre, France.
This central landmark of Paris, located on the right bank of the Seine River, is visited annually by about 9.5 million people. Before becoming a museum, the Louvre was a fortress and palace of French kings. However, during French Revolution National constituent Assembly decided that the Louvre would be used as a museum where national masterpieces would be exhibited.
Thus, in 1793 the museum was opened to the general public with a collection of 537 paintings. Under Napoleon, the Louvre was renamed the Napoleon Museum and its art collection was expanded. However, subsequently the collection was steadily replenished. And in 1989, the palace acquired an unusual architectural element - a glass pyramid, which today is the main entrance to the museum. It was designed by an architect Chinese origin Yo Ming Pei.
The appearance of this pyramid in front of a medieval building shocked many people and caused stormy criticism, however, despite this, the pyramid was destined to become part of the architectural ensemble of the Louvre and one of the symbols of Paris. Today the museum's collection consists of more than 350 thousand objects and works of art that were created in the period from ancient times to the first half of the 19th century. The main attractions of the Louvre are the painting “Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as the sculptures “Venus de Milo” and “Nike of Samothrace”.
Sculpture "Nike of Samothrace". Photo by: Thomas Ulrich.
2. Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, located in New York, is the largest art museum in the USA with the largest art collection in the world. About 6 million visitors visit it annually.
Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo by: Arad Mojtahedi.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 by a group of American citizens. Among them were entrepreneurs and financiers, as well as leading artists and thinkers of the time, who wanted to open a museum to introduce art to the American people. The museum opened on February 20, 1872 and today occupies about 190 thousand m².
The museum's main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park, is one of the largest in the world art galleries, and a smaller building in Upper Manhattan houses medieval art. The permanent collection of the museum contains works of art that were created in the period from antiquity to the present day. There you can see paintings and sculptures by almost all European masters, such as Botticelli, Rembrandt, Degas, Rodin and others, as well as get acquainted with an extensive collection of modern art.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to the collections musical instruments, ancient costumes, accessories and weapons collected from all over the world. By the way, one of the museum’s many impressive masterpieces is the copper engraving “Adam and Eve” by Albrecht Durer.
Engraving "Adam and Eve".
3. British Museum, UK.
This museum is located in London, and it is dedicated to the history and culture of mankind. Its permanent collection, numbering about 8 million items, is one of the largest and most comprehensive. About 5.5 million people visit the museum every year. Entry to this museum is free.
The British Museum was created in 1753 and was formed primarily from the collections of its founder, the physician and scientist Hans Sloan. The museum opened to the public on 15 January 1759 at Montagu House, an aristocratic mansion located in London's Bloomsbury district, where it remains today.
The UK's largest museum houses archaeological and ethnographic collections of more than eight million objects. And the museum's Egyptian Gallery boasts the world's second-best collection of Egyptian antiquities, including, for example, the Rosetta Stone with an inscription of gratitude carved on it in 196 BC. The Egyptian priests addressed this inscription to Ptolemy V Epiphanes, a monarch from the Ptolemaic dynasty.
4. Tate Modern, UK.
This gallery is located in London and is the most popular contemporary art gallery in the world ,
since about 5.3 million people visit it every year.
Tate Modern is a former power station on the south bank of the River Thames in Battersea, which was built between 1947 and 1963. Today the gallery building in its own way appearance still resembles a 20th century factory, both outside and inside. So when you walk into the gallery space, you are greeted by dark gray walls, steel beams and concrete floors. The collections at Tate Modern consist of works of modern art created between 1900 and the present day. The gallery building has 7 floors, numbered from 0 to 6. Moreover, each floor is divided into 4 wings, which correspond to certain themes or subjects.
For example, in 2012, exhibits on the following topics. The "Poetry and Dreams" wing is dedicated to surrealism, "Structure and Clarity" focuses on abstract art, the Transformed Vision wing is dedicated to expressionism, while Energy and Process focuses on the artistic movement of Arte Povera and features works by artists such as Alighiero Boetti, Jannis Kounellis, Kazimir Malevich, Ana Mendieta and Mario Merz.
5. London National Gallery, UK.
It is located in Trafalgar Square and is visited by about 5 million people annually.
Unlike other major museums in continental Europe, the National Gallery was not formed through nationalization, that is, the transfer of the royal art collection to the state. It came about when the British government bought 38 paintings in 1824 from the heirs of John Angerstein, an insurance broker and patron of the arts. Since this acquisition, the gallery has been replenished only by its directors, in particular the artist Charles Eastlake, and by private donations, which make up two-thirds of the collection. Today the gallery is owned by the UK public and therefore admission is free. The London National Gallery used to have a permanent exhibition, but today it is constantly changing.
6. Vatican Museums.
Presented in the Vatican Museums huge collection exhibits collected by the Roman Catholic Church over several centuries. About 5 million people visit museums every year.
The Vatican Museums have 22 separate art collections. And, perhaps, the most famous of them is kept in the Pius Clement Museum, where magnificent classical sculptures are presented. The Brera Pinacoteca (art gallery) houses medieval and Renaissance masterpieces. In Gregorian Egyptian Museum Ancient Egyptian exhibits are kept, and the Gregorian Etruscan Museum contains numerous items of Etruscan everyday life. But, of course, the main attractions of the Vatican Museums are the Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, and the Stanzas of Raphael.
Stanzas of Raphael.
7. Imperial Palace Museum, Taiwan.
This one is one of national museums The Republic of China has a permanent collection of approximately 696,000 ancient Chinese artifacts and works of art. The collection covers more than 8,000 years of Chinese history from the Neolithic to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Most of the collection was formed by the emperors of China.
The Imperial Palace Museum is located in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei and is visited by approximately 4.4 million people annually. The main attractions of the museum are painting and calligraphy, as well as rare books, the number of which in the museum reaches 200 thousand volumes.
8. National Gallery of Art, USA.
Located in Washington, D.C., this gallery attracts approximately 4.2 million visitors annually. It was founded in 1937 by decision of the US Congress. A large collection of art objects, as well as funds for the construction of the gallery, was donated by the American banker and billionaire Andrew William Mellon.
Paintings, drawings, engravings, photographs, sculptures, medals, and decorative arts tell gallery visitors about the development of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present day. The National Gallery of Art also features America's only painting by Leonardo da Vinci, as well as the world's largest mobile (kinetic sculpture) ever created by American sculptor Alexander Calder.
Portrait of Ginevra de Benci.
9. Center Pompidou, France. The National Center for Art and Culture named after Georges Pompidou is Cultural Center in the Beaubourg quarter of the 4th arrondissement of Paris, built in high-tech style. About 3.8 million people visit the Pompidou Center every year.
The center is named after Georges Pompidou, the president who served from 1969 to 1974. He ordered the construction of this cultural center. The Pompidou Center officially opened on January 31, 1977. Today it houses a huge public library, State Museum of Modern Art, which is largest museum contemporary art in Europe, and the Institute for Research and Coordination of Acoustics and Music (IRCAM). Interestingly, according to the architect’s design, Alexander Calder’s mobile, whose height is 7.62 meters, was installed in front of the center building.
10. Orsay Museum, France.
This museum, located on the left bank of the Seine River in Paris, is visited by about 3.6 million people annually.
It was created in a former railway station built in the Beaux Arts style (eclectic style) between 1898 and 1900. By 1939, the station's short platforms became unsuitable for the large trains that were then emerging, so the station was used only for commuter trains. Subsequently, the railway station was used only as a location for filming films, such as Orson Welles' The Trial, based on the novel of the same name by Franz Kafka.
Main hall of the Orsay Museum. Photo by: Benh Lieu Song.
And in 1970, it was decided to demolish the station, but Jacques Duhamel, Minister of Cultural Affairs, was against this, and the station joined the list historical monuments France. A few years later, a proposal was made to make a museum in the station building. And finally, in July 1986, the museum was ready to receive exhibits. Another 6 months passed, and in December 1986 the doors of the museum opened to receive visitors.
Today the museum displays mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915. Here is the most large collection works of the world's Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, particularly by artists such as Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne and Van Gogh.
