Museums are known as centres of culture and history – but it’s not just what’s inside that counts. Many cultural institutions are works of art in themselves, from significant architectural structures to groundbreaking futuristic masterpieces. These are the world's most beautiful museums, from a building that moves to exhibits located inside a three-headed elephant sculpture. It's best to check the latest travel advice and individual websites before visiting.
One of the three major museums on London's Exhibition Road, the Natural History Museum is home to around 80 million life and earth science specimens including Hope, the blue whale skeleton suspended dramatically over Hintze Hall. Designed by civil engineer Captain Francis Fowke with revisions by Alfred Waterhouse, the Romanesque-style building opened in 1881 and is easily recognisable thanks to the extensive use of terracotta tiles, made to resist the sooty atmosphere of Victorian London.
A landmark building designed by one of the 20th century's most important architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim has been a New York City icon since it opened in 1959. Its most notable feature remains the cylindrical gallery with a ramp inside that extends from ground level up to the ceiling skylight in a long, continuous spiral. The collection features Impressionist, early modern and contemporary art, including paintings by Paul Cézanne and Vasily Kandinsky.
Better known as The Modern, Fort Worth's Modern Art Museum is recognised as having one of the foremost collections of international modern and contemporary art in the US. Designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and opened to the public in 2002, the museum building consists of five large pavilions set into a reflecting pond. The Modern's permanent collection of more than 3,000 pieces includes works by Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Cindy Sherman.
The Louvre is the world's largest museum and is instantly recognisable with its signature glass pyramid and Baroque façade. Originally built as the Louvre Castle in the late 12th century under the instruction of Philip II, it was decided by the National Assembly during the French Revolution that the building should instead be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces. Today, the collection exceeds approximately 38,000 objects, the most famous being Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Located inside a three-headed elephant statue, the Erawan Museum covers three levels that represent the underworld, Earth and heaven. The 250-tonne structure is cast in pure green-hued copper and is 95 feet (29m) high. Inside, the museum's collection includes rare pieces of Chinese porcelain, Vietnamese vases and Chakri Dynasty tea sets. The psychedelic interior is part of the museum's collection with pillars depicting religious scenes, mural paintings and a stained-glass ceiling representing the roof of the world, the Zodiac and the Milky Way.
Solely dedicated to the documentation of African American life, history and culture, the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened in 2016 and its striking, shimmering bronze exterior has already become a recognisable landmark. The Smithsonian museum's collection spans more than 40,000 objects and includes historically significant items like the dress Rosa Parks was sewing the day she refused to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
Athens’ Acropolis Museum, designed by Bernard Tschumi, is a remarkable example of how old and new can exist side by side. Built over large parts of Roman and early Byzantine Athens, the museum has transparent floors in parts to reveal the excavations below. The collection is exhibited across three levels, with the top floor sitting askew to the rest of the museum to match the cardinal orientation of the ancient temple on the Acropolis.
Overlooking Guanabara Bay, the Niterói Contemporary Art Museum looks like something out of a science fiction film when viewed from afar. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer – a well-known Brazilian architect key to the development of modern architecture – the museum is notable for more than its contemporary art collection. There's also a gallery that overlooks the bay and has views of Rio de Janeiro and Sugarloaf Mountain across the water.
The Louis Vuitton Foundation is a museum and cultural centre dedicated to the legendary French fashion designer and created to support the contemporary arts, and it's suitably well-dressed for its role. The renowned architect behind the project, Frank Gehry, took inspiration from the clouds when designing the building. The structure also pays homage to other huge glass buildings in Paris, most notably the Grand Palais, and houses several galleries across two floors.
Milwaukee Art Museum is comprised of three separate buildings and it's the Quadracci Pavilion that's the most noteworthy. Although it holds one of the largest collections of works by Wisconsin native Georgia O'Keeffe, the building itself receives just as much attention. It contains a movable, wing-like brise soleil (an architectural feature that reduces heat gain by deflecting sunlight), opening up to a total wingspan of around 217 feet (66m) during the day and folding over the arched structure at night.
One of Amsterdam's most recognisable landmarks, the Rijksmuseum is dedicated to Dutch arts and history. Founded in The Hague, the museum was moved to the Royal Palace and then the Trippenhuis, both in Amsterdam, before it finally settled in its new home in 1885. The museum has a total collection of around a million objects, including some of the most notable works by Rembrandt, Frans Hals and Johannes Vermeer.
Consisting of two buildings – Plaza Carso and Plaza Loreto – Museo Somaya is a private museum housing an impressive collection of more than 66,000 works of art. In 2011 the main collection was moved to the stunning Plaza Carso (pictured). Recognisable by its unusual curved lines, the exterior of the building is covered in 16,000 hexagonal aluminium tiles while the interior opens into a large white gallery.
Royal Ontario Museum is the largest museum in Canada and also the country’s largest field research institution, with research and conservation activities around the world. The current museum incorporates the original 1914 building, the 1933 eastern wing and The Crystal – a controversial expansion finished in 2007. The museum entrance was moved to The Crystal as soon as it opened and is a striking example of old and new melding (or perhaps colliding).
Commissioned at the end of the 19th century to house the huge art collection belonging to the Habsburgs (Austria's royal family), the Kunsthistorisches Museum or Museum of Art History is one of the most important art museums in the world. In addition to its formidable collection of fine paintings and sculpture, the palatial building is topped with a 197-foot (60m) octagonal dome and is lavishly decorated inside with marble, stucco (fine plaster) ornaments and gold leaf.
Blending beautifully with its surroundings, this earth-coloured building is dedicated to the French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent. Opened to the public in 2017, the museum is located next to Jardin Majorelle – Saint Laurent's residence in Marrakech known for its bold colours and blooms. The building's exterior, an assemblage of cubes and curves dressed in a lace of bricks, is designed to mimic the weaves of fabric, while the collection inside includes many works by Saint Laurent.
Of the 11 museums run by the city of Venice, Palazzo Ducale, or Doge's Palace, is probably the most famous. Formerly the Doge's (chief magistrate) residence and the seat of the Venetian government, it became a museum in 1923 and houses countless priceless works of art by Tintoretto and Titian. The building itself is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture that combines its 14th- and 15th-century foundations with opulent Renaissance-era and Mannerist additions.
Opened as a casino and a ballroom in 1912, the Tigre Club was a popular gathering space for the bourgeoisie. It reopened in 2006 as the Tigre Municipal Museum of Fine Art, following an extensive renovation project. The elegant two-level building has large windows and marble staircases, while the main saloon on the first floor has frescoes by the Spanish artist Julio Vila y Prades. The opulent interior is also decorated with Venetian mirrors and French chandeliers.
Housing a priceless collection of artworks, particularly from the Italian Renaissance period, the Uffizi Gallery is just as beautiful as the art displayed within its walls. It's often regarded as one of the first modern museums as it's been open to visitors since the 16th century, formally becoming a museum in 1865. Construction was started by Giorgio Vasari (the same Vasari who painted the Duomo frescoes) and it was originally intended as the offices for Florentine magistrates, hence the name uffizi (offices).
Focusing on the human aspects of war, the Bundeswehr Museum of Military History consists of two parts – the former 19th-century military arsenal and a new extension cutting through the old building. It's designed to symbolise Germany's eventful military history, and the viewing platform at the top of the extension points towards the area where the Allied forces' bomb attacks on Dresden started.
The much-anticipated Louvre Abu Dhabi opened in Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island's Cultural District in 2017, and drew more than a million visitors in its first year. The 35,000-strong collection includes artworks from around the world, with a particular focus on bridging the gap between Eastern and Western art. The museum building's most notable feature is its web-patterned dome, which is designed to look like it's floating.
A groundbreaking structure for its time, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry and inaugurated in 1997. Since then, the museum has hosted many notable exhibitions including an epic overview of 20th-century art. The museum changed how people view the role of museum; the impact of its opening on the city was so great that it's now known as ‘the Bilbao effect’ when a single cultural project can revive a destination.
A striking upside-down pyramid, Hanoi Museum houses an impressive collection of pieces that cover the past millennium of Hanoi's history, culture and architecture. The museum is reached via a central atrium that expands, floor by floor, into the exhibition space with the top floor purposefully built so that visitors feel like they're floating over the landscape. The building, finished in 2010, was also designed to offer shade to the bottom floors and improve the building's energy efficiency.
Opened in 2016, Studio Bell is the National Music Centre's museum space and performance venue located in Calgary. The museum showcases a collection that includes more than 2,000 rare instruments and artefacts as well as the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame collections. The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, the TONTO synthesiser and one of Elton John's pianos are among the exhibits at the museum.
An offspring of London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the first outside the English capital, this design museum is located on the east coast of Scotland. Designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, the building's exterior is inspired by the cliffs found in the region and it also occupies a space on the newly redeveloped Dundee waterfront, adding to its striking beauty.
One of the smallest museums on this list, Monet's House and Gardens in Giverny charms with its spectacular natural surroundings. The stunning gardens were planted by Claude Monet, who spent years transforming it into a living painting that reflects his famous artworks. While most of Monet's paintings are kept in the Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris, the house has an impressive collection of Japanese ukiyo-e prints from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The National Museum of Scotland is comprised of two buildings: the Royal Museum and the Museum of Scotland. The Royal Museum is especially lovely, featuring a light-flooded main hall inspired by London's Crystal Palace. Designed by Captain Francis Fowke, the engineer behind London's Natural History Museum and Royal Albert Hall, the building was finished in 1888. Today, its collection covers Scottish history and geology, natural history, world cultures and science and technology.
One of Paris’ best-loved museums, Musée d'Orsay looks a little like a train station – and that’s because it actually was one. The terminus for the railways of southwestern France, it was in operation until 1939. Part of it became a mailing centre during the Second World War and in 1970 there were plans to demolish it and build a hotel. But a proposal was made to turn it into a museum and today it's among the world's most famous and loveliest, holding mainly French Impressionist and post-Impressionist art.
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Overlooking the Arabian Gulf, the five-floor main building of the Museum of Islamic Art is inspired by ancient Islamic architecture, the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Cairo in particular. The geometric building is made of cream-coloured limestone and features a high-domed atrium with a central tower. The museum holds an extensive collection of Islamic art spanning more than 1,400 years. It's currently closed for renovations, though the library and education centre are open.
Better known as The Met, this grande dame of museums has been a fixture of Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue since it opened in 1870. It’s an elegant, classic building, designed in the Beaux-Arts style with grand archways and columns fronted by a broad flight of steps. Inside, its collections span more than five millennia of world art, so there’s beauty galore to be found there too. Its sister museum, the Met Cloisters, is in Upper Manhattan and has a terrace overlooking the Hudson River.
As with most things in Dubai, the city’s newest museum takes the idea of beauty and amplifies it. Opened in February 2022, the Museum of the Future is housed in a striking, hollowed-out silver oval engraved with lettering. Inside, its seven storeys are all about what life and the planet could look like in the future with exhibits on technology, space exploration and the environment, including a lush rainforest.
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