Art museums and galleries of the world. The most famous art galleries in the world
A unique opportunity to travel through time and space is provided by museums that contain exhibits of various national cultures, created by hands like 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).
- Greatest Museums world are determined 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. Its 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. Its exhibitions were presented to the public in 1793, during the Great Bourgeois Revolution. The 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 of the outstanding Renaissance master Leonard da Vinci - the 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 the greatest museums in the world ensure the preservation 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 Phidias, who made it possible to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, and a piece of the beard of the Great Sphinx of 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 Traveler's Choice winners, although it was founded in more late 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 of Art, representing a number of buildings from different periods. They are connected by stairs and passages, storing 3 million works of art. Collected here largest collection The Costume Institute was created.
Not all the greatest museums in the world, which are described in the article, can boast of holding large-scale events, such as the annual charity ball Met Gala 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. National Museum 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, samples 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. Modern Art The Prado 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 at the end of the 18th 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). Luxurious Winter Palace in the Baroque style by architect B. Rastrelli - the decoration of St. Petersburg and the greatest historical monument.
Information about upcoming updates museum collections will appear - follow the information on this page.
Academy Carrara 2019 , Uffizi: 2018 , National Museum in Stockholm: 2019 .
Paris is often called the cultural center of Europe, because the greatest museums in the world are concentrated here, such as the Rodin Museum, the Louvre, and the Pablo Picasso Museum. However, this is not all that Paris can surprise its guests with. Here you can visit quite unusual, strange for common man museums, for example, the Museum of Erotic Art, the Guimet Museum of Oriental Arts, the Army Museum. Each of them has its own history and is the world's greatest cultural and historical heritage.
So, the top 6 most striking and famous art museums in Paris and throughout France include:
❶ The Louvre, which occupies an honorable first place and is one of the most striking calling cards of Paris. In that the largest museum world, located in the palace of King Philip Augustus, from ancient times until the 19th century, a unique collection of masterpieces of world art was collected bit by bit. The museum area is actually divided into three gallery parts: “Sully”, “Denon” and “Richelieu”, each of which contains amazing exhibits. The oldest antique exhibits and the greatest collection of original French painting presented in the Sully gallery hall. Italian painting and the great works of masters from the Etruscan and Greek periods are collected in the Denon Gallery. The Richelieu Gallery is presented the latest works eastern and European art and is complemented by interesting French sculpture. When visiting the Louvre, you should set aside a few days to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the magnificent works of the greatest masters.
❷ Jacquemart-André Museum, rightfully the second pearl of Paris. Here, in the former residence of the Jacquemart-André couple, a large collection of the most striking and famous works, represented by Flemish, French and Italian masters from the Renaissance. Greatest Masterpieces Botticelli, Donatello, Rembrandt, Canavelli, Crivelli, Thomas Louche, Francois Boucher, Hubert Robert and other outstanding masters still inspire many modern painters, art connoisseurs and ordinary tourists.
❸ Pablo Picasso Museum, dedicated to the Spanish master who created his masterpieces in the 19th century. Great master, recognized as the best and most “expensive” painter in the world, left behind magnificent creations: paintings, sculptures, engravings, collages, drawings, ceramic objects, which were collected in one place - the Sale mansion. All periods of Picasso's work, collected in a huge collection, create a colorful composition that leaves a lasting impression.
❹ Orsay Museum, where a unique collection of impressionism and post-impressionism is collected. On three levels of the museum, based in the building of a former station, you can see works by such masters as Claude Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Van Gogh and others. The collection is complemented by works of art created between 1848 and 1914: sculptures, unique photographs , bright objects of architecture.
❺ Montparnasse Museum, which was founded in the former workshop of Maria Vasilyeva. Here is a collection of works by Edgar Stoebel and Maria Vasilyeva herself (Russian artist). Currently (since the end of September 2013), the museum is temporarily closed by order of the mayor's office.
❻ The Salvador Dali Museum, which is the largest collection of works by this greatest Spanish artist, director, sculptor and writer. Here, in addition to 300 creations of the master, you can also hear his recordings: the voice of the creator accompanies museum visitors during the excursion.
Text: Valery Shangaev
Saint Petersburg, Palace Square, Hermitage Museum. The Hermitage building itself is a magnificent architectural monument, and the collection of paintings collected in it are masterpieces of world painting. The museum has priceless artistic treasures, created by many generations of unsurpassed masters: from the late Middle Ages to the present day. The Hermitage exhibits delightful examples of elegant Western European painting, luxurious works of artists from Flanders and Holland with their genuine sincerity, sensually exciting paintings of the early Italian Renaissance.
An art gallery with paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet, Matisse - this is just the beginning of the list of masters whose works are presented in this amazing museum. It is very difficult to describe in words the impressions of visiting the Hermitage. A day is not enough for a thoughtful and enthusiastic connoisseur of beauty to walk around the entire complex complex, consisting of 6 buildings, and enjoy all the exhibits.
Using the services of a guide, each tourist can purposefully visit those rooms that contain the paintings that are most attractive to him.
The famous Palace of Versailles in Paris is no less unique. The creation of the famous art gallery began under the French king Louis Phillipe. It was by his decree that the Palace of Versailles was filled with magnificent specimens portrait painting. Thanks to the art gallery founded by this king, today everyone can see beautiful portraits of those who are inextricably linked with French history. Images of kings and their favorites, queens of France and famous military leaders - all color French nobility depicted on the canvases of great masters.
Speaking about France, it is impossible to keep silent about business card of this country - the Louvre. Of course, this is the most famous european museum, which has absorbed incredible treasures created over the centuries. The Louvre is the main attraction of the French, their pride. The combination of several styles in the architecture of the Louvre gives it an extraordinary romantic mystery. After all, the construction of the Louvre began with the construction of a defensive fortress, and much later, Renaissance architects completed the construction of the royal apartments, turning the fortress into a palace ensemble.
About two and a half thousand paintings were collected in the famous British National Gallery, which the British are no less proud of than the French - the Louvre. And they are rightfully proud. Located in the center of London on Trafalgar Square, British gallery has a collection of Western European paintings dating from the 13th century to the present day. Here are the paintings of the great German and Dutch masters, famous painters of England and France. All works are very conveniently exhibited in chronological order.
Madrid, one of the most beautiful European cities, also has its own “pearl”. It is the Prado National Museum, located in an unusually beautiful building designed by Juan de Villanueva back in 1785. Today's collection includes more than 7,600 paintings and 8,000 drawings. This museum has the most complete, completely unique collection of works by the great Spanish masters. Presented here famous works Francisco Goya, El Greco and Diego Velazquez. The Prado Museum is famous for its collection of the famous Dutchman Hieronymus Bosch. The museum workers very carefully and carefully carry out restoration work, which makes it possible to regularly replenish the extensive collection of the Prado National Museum.
Text: Anna Kolisnichenko
The cost of tickets to museums in Europe varies greatly. There are both expensive and very cheap museums. As it turns out, there are museums that you can visit for free. The 14 most expensive and cheapest museums in Europe were identified. The list includes 7 most expensive museums, 5 cheap ones and 2 museums that can be visited for free.
Zurich and Amsterdam distinguished themselves by the high cost of tickets. Thus, the Museum Buehrle in Zurich was in the lead; the visitor must pay 20 euros upon visiting. The museum features a large collection of works by Emil Georg Bührl. But works of art German artist not to mention, the museum has about 200 works by the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists of France. The famous “Water Lilies” by Claude Monet and “Self-Portrait” by Van Gogh are located in the Museum Buehrle.
The famous Vatican Museum was included in the rating. The ticket price for a tourist is 15 euros, but every last Sunday of the month, the museum can be visited for free. On Sundays there are huge queues, but this does not stop tourists. The Vatican Museum consists of 1,400 rooms, including the Vatican Pinacoteca, which displays 50,000 exhibits. The museum has a large number of paintings by masters of painting from the 11th to 19th centuries. Including Raphael Santi and the incomparable Leonardo da Vinci.
Also, researchers recognized the Hermitage on Amstel as one of the most expensive. The museum is located in Amsterdam and is a branch of the Hermitage. As with the Vatican Museum, entry for visitors costs 15 euros. The museum often hosts various exhibitions, often related to Russia.
The Vincent Van Gogh Museum and the Rijksmuseum are also recognized as the most expensive. The Van Gogh Museum displays the largest collection of paintings and drawings by the master. Moreover, the collection contains pictures drawn by Vincent as a child. The property of the Rijksmuseum is the paintings Dutch painting golden age. He is famous for paintings by Rembrandt, Ruisdael, Vermeer, Hoch. The pearl of the collection - " The night Watch" You can visit these museums by paying from 12.5 to 14 euros.
By paying about 15 euros, you can get into the Zurich Kunsthaus. His collection of paintings is considered the largest in Switzerland. It mainly displays paintings by Swiss artists before the 20th century. From the paintings of European masters of painting, you can see Edvard Munch.
The researchers also did not ignore the multi-level Pompidou Center located in Paris. It houses the National Museum and presents such authors as Modigliani, Matisse, Pollock, Dali, Brandt, Kandinsky. Entering Cultural Center, the visitor will part with 12 euros, but in addition to the painting museum, he will also be able to visit the library, the Design Center, cinema halls, and so on.
According to the results of a mini-research, in Europe there are many inexpensive, but famous museums. Entrance for tourists to these vaults ranges from 8 to 10 euros. The Louvre is recognized as the best in this category. It also included the Madrid Prado, the Hermitage, the Parisian Orsay Museum and the Florentine Uffizi Gallery.
But whatever the price of visiting museums, the most profitable were and remain museums where admission is free. The researchers noted two such museums, both in London. These are the most famous museums Tate Modern and the British Museum. Presented at Tate Modern a large number of“fresh” art, as well as the works of classics - Pierre Bonnard, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, Jackson Polloco and many other authors. The British Museum is famous for its ancient Roman and Greek relics, but also contains works by Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.
Text: Yana Pelevina
Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to Amsterdam every year to visit exhibitions and museums. Along with museums such as the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House, the city has many unusual exhibitions. We will talk about ten of the most unique of them in our article.
❶ Hemp Museum. This is the most popular cannabis museum in the world. Its owner, Ben Dronkers, has collected many items related to this plant. Here you can see large collection smoking pipes. In a working greenhouse, visitors can see what growing hemp looks like. The plant's seeds are sold in the museum shop.
❷ Tattoo Museum. In 2011, a museum dedicated to tattoos was opened in Amsterdam. The exhibition tells about the history of applying drawings to the body in different countries Oh. The collection represents various regions: Africa, Asia, America, Oceania. Also here you can learn about the meaning of tattoos for representatives of various subcultures and professions: sailors, prisoners, soldiers, thieves, bikers. Tattoo admirers hold meetings and seminars at the club at the museum.
❸ Cat Museum. This museum was created by the Dutchman William Meyer, who decided to preserve the memory of his cat Tom in this way. The museum displays books, posters, paintings and sculptures related to cats. The exhibition occupies two floors of a three-story house, on the third floor of which the owner lives.
❹ Museum of Torture. To better recreate the frightening atmosphere of medieval justice, the museum's rooms have dim lighting and are painted in dark colors. Here you can see devices that were used for torture in different countries.
❺ Vrolik Museum. This museum has a collection of pathological embryos, skulls and bones, making this a popular place among medical students. The scientist Gerardus Vrolik began collecting such a collection in the 18th century, and the museum bears his name.
❻ Museum of Sex. Each room of this museum is dedicated to individuals whose sexual side of life is of interest. These are the Marquis de Sade, Oscar Wilde, the Marquis de Pompadour, Rudolph Valentino, Mata Hari and others. The atmosphere in the museum is very pleasant - visitors have the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition accompanied by good music.
❼ Museum of the Dead. This museum will tell you about attitudes towards death in different times, funeral traditions different religions, unusual funerals.
❽ Museum of Erotica. Three floors of the building are dedicated to all kinds of erotic trifles and souvenirs. Here you can see Snow White and the dwarves in explicit poses, paintings depicting erotic scenes, and purchase various contraceptives.
❾ Floating house-museum. This attraction demonstrates how a barge can be transformed into a comfortable place to live. Since 1914, the ship was used to transport goods; later it was converted. There are 4 cabins, a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom and a children's play area. The barge does not stand still, but travels around Amsterdam, stopping at places popular among tourists.
❿ Fluorescent Museum. This is the only museum of its kind in the world, which opened in 1999. On the ground floor of the museum there is an art gallery where you can buy glow-in-the-dark paintings. Also presented is a collection of luminous minerals brought from different countries, and sculptures made from them.
Text: Lidia Volkova
6 chosen
Today the Tretyakov Gallery celebrates its birthday. It was founded by merchant Pavel Tretyakov 157 years ago, on June 4, 1856. I propose today to go on a cultural journey and visit other famous art galleries peace.
Louvre Art Gallery
How was it with Grishkovets in the play “Simultaneously”? Fly to Paris and immediately run from the plane to the Louvre, look at the Mona Lisa, because you are not like all the other tourists.
The Louvre, located in the royal palace, is the most famous, visited and oldest museum in the world.
In the collection of paintings of the Louvre about 6,000 works of art from the Middle Ages to the middleXIXcentury. Including "Mona Lisa", "St. Anne with the Madonna and Child Christ" and "Madonna of the Rocks" by Leonardo da Vinci, "The Imposition of the Crown of Thorns" and "Woman Before a Mirror" by Titian, "The Little Holy Family" by Raphael, "The Oath of the Horatii" " Jacques-Louis David and many others.
The famous and unfortunate "Mona Lisa" has gone through so much here! One “modern Herostratus” poured acid on the painting, another threw a stone at it mysterious smile. After this, the canvas was protected with bulletproof glass, but still from time to time there are figures trying to encroach on it. I don’t know why she didn’t please them.
To avoid spending a lot of time in line, experienced tourists advise coming to the Louvre either early in the morning or after lunch. Another option is to try to enter not through the main entrance, but through shopping mall"Carousel".
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the largest art galleries in the world. But initially the collection was based on paintings from three private collections and consisted of only 174 canvases.
Today in the museum you can see paintings by Rembrandt, Velazquez, Van Gogh, Botticelli, Titian, El Greco and many other great painters.
A nice little thing - in quality entrance tickets The Metropolitan Museum of Art uses colorful badges that you can keep as a souvenir.
London National Gallery
Meeting London gallery, perhaps not as extensive as those of its predecessors, but no less representative. Here you can see paintings by almost all great artists. English School represented by the works of Gainsborough, Lawrence and the witty Hogarth, in particular his satirical series "Fashionable Marriage". Among the Italians are Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Piero della Francesca, Titian, Veronese and many others. Spaniards - El Greco, Goya, Velazquez. The Dutch school is represented by a rich collection of van Eyck, Bosch, Rubens, Rembrandt, van Dyck and many others.
Dresden Gallery
In the Dresden Gallery you can see collection of paintings by old masters– artists of the XIII-XVIII centuries. Previously, later works of art were also displayed here, but the collection has grown so much that it had to be divided.
Paintings began to be collected back in the 15th century. And in XVII century Augustus II set out to collect a rich collection and began buying famous works art, including "Sleeping Venus" by Giorgione and "The Kingdom of Flora" by Poussin. Later, the collection was replenished with masterpieces by such authors as Titian, Cuccino, Rubens, Rembrandt and many others. In addition, in the Dresden Gallery you can see the famous “Sistine Madonna” by Raphael.
By the way, the gallery is located in one of most beautiful places city - in the Zwinger complex.
Prado
Has an impressive collection Madrid Prado Museum. Stored here most full meetings works by Bosch, Velazquez, Murillo, Goya and El Greco. In the gallery you can see the works of the most famous representatives of the Italian, Spanish, Flemish and German schools. Among them Raphael, Titian, Sandro Botticelli, Rubens, Anton van Dyck and many others.
When you go traveling, there are many ways to create your excursion itinerary. But almost everyone includes a visit to museums. Museums are an ideal destination for history and culture lovers. Today, the world's greatest museums offer a variety of interactive and engaging experiences that can allow you to discover the secrets of history in your own unique way. This selection contains 10 museums that are the most famous and recognizable landmarks in the world. You will be impressed by them alone appearance, not to mention what awaits inside.
1. Paris Louvre
Without a doubt the most famous museum in the world, the Louvre was a medieval fortress and palace of the kings of France before it became a museum two centuries ago. Even modernizing the square with the addition of a glass pyramid in its center does not take anything away from the historical charm of the Louvre Palace. The museum's collections, which range from the birth of great ancient civilizations to the first half of the 19th century, are among the most outstanding on the planet. You will find here the works of the most famous artists in history, such as da Vinci and Rembrandt. The main attraction of the Louvre is Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
2. Hermitage, St. Petersburg
This gigantic museum has the world's largest collection of paintings. This is a stunning place covering the history of the world from the Stone Age to the present, and the Golden Room is especially impressive with its amazing precious stones. The Hermitage Museum is the most visited in Russia. It is scenically located along the waterfront area in Downtown St. Petersburg. This is a whole museum complex, which includes six different buildings of unique architectural design. Without a doubt, the Emitage is one of the greatest museums in the world, an outstanding landmark of St. Petersburg.
3. British Museum in London
Millions of works of art from all continents are collected here. The galleries of the British Museum are dedicated to Egypt, Greece, Roman civilization, Asia, Africa and medieval Europe, tracing human history and culture. The Parthenon Marbles, which once adorned the Parthenon in Athens, are kept here. The museum attracts six million visitors every year. If you can't make it to the Egyptian Museum, then you can view the largest and most comprehensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts outside of Cairo right here. Also impressive is the new reading room of the British Museum, which you see in the photo below:
4. Egyptian Museum in Cairo
At the Egyptian Museum in Cairo you will find the most comprehensive collection of Egyptian art in the world. Among thousands of treasures also famous exhibits from the tomb of Tutankhamun. In 1835, the Egyptian government founded the Egyptian Antique Treasure Service in an attempt to stop the looting of archaeological sites and organize an exhibition of collected artifacts. In 1900, the Egyptian Museum building was built, which now houses more than 120,000 objects from the prehistoric era to the Greco-Roman period, including ancient sculptures of the Sphinx. If you are exploring the sights of Egypt, you should not miss the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
5. Uffizi Gallery in Florence
UNESCO estimates that 60% of the most popular artwork in the world are in Italy, and more than half of them are located in Florence. The Uffizi Gallery in Florence will amaze you to the core. This is definitely one of the finest collections of paintings and sculpture on the planet, with works dating back to the Renaissance by masters such as da Vinci, Raphael, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and many more. One of the main attractions here is Botticelli's Birth of Venus.
6. Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Established in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art houses more than two million works of art from around the world, from antiquity to modern times. You will find everything from Islamic and European paintings, to collections of weapons and armor. Although there are many other great museums in New York, such as the Guggenheim, the Metropolitan is one of the most essential. This is truly one of the greatest museums in the world.
7. State Museum in Amsterdam
8. Vatican Museum
The impressive Vatican Museum contains 22 separate collections, ranging from Etruscan and Egyptian art to maps and modern religious art. Even if you are not religious, you will still be impressed pure beauty and the splendor of Michelangelo's dome and Bernini's spiral columns. The core values here are updated The Sistine Chapel and Raphael's Rooms.
9. Prado Museum in Madrid
Although its collection is less impressive, the Prado is one of the most respected and visited museums in the world. The Prado Museum's greatest treasure is Spanish art, with works by Velazquez, Goya, Murillo, El Greco and many other celebrities. Although the museum specializes in paintings, it also houses a large number of drawings, coins, medals and decorative arts. The museum's neoclassical facade is typical of the city's 18th century architecture. Particular attention should be paid to the Three Graces by Rubens. It is one of the twenty most visited museums in the world.
10. National Museum of Archeology in Athens
The collection of the greatest museums in the world is completed by the Museum of Archeology in Athens. This is the best place to admire the masterpieces of ancient Greece. 
On November 8, 1793, perhaps the most famous art museum in the world, the Louvre, was opened to the public. Today we will talk about it and other great art collections that everyone should visit.
The most famous museum in France and one of the most popular museums the world occupies more than 106 thousand square meters in the heart of beautiful Paris. The Louvre as a museum first opened its doors to connoisseurs of beauty on November 8, 1793 - at that time there were two and a half thousand paintings in its collections. If you find yourself in the Louvre for the first time, do not pay attention to the misleading impression of incredible confusion that it gives: in fact, the museum exhibition is very rationally organized, and it is not at all difficult to understand it. In the three wings of the museum - Richelieu, Denon and Sully - there are 8 departments connected by passages and halls. The most popular, southern part of the Louvre, called Denon, is always very crowded with visitors: it houses masterpieces of world painting, for example, the Mona Lisa and many works by famous French painters of the 19th century. You shouldn’t even try to visit the entire museum in one day - it’s better to stop at one of the more than 6 thousand paintings created by recognized European masters of the 13th-19th centuries and enjoy the beauty of what you see.
At the villa of oil tycoon Paul Getty in Malibu, there has been a complex for many years now, which has become one of the largest and most sought-after art museums peace. The villa is built from 16 tons of golden travertine, from which the mansion of the Roman emperor Troyan was built, buried under the ashes of Vesuvius, and around it fountains and waterfalls roar and luxurious gardens bloom. The museum's second branch, the more modern Getty Center, opened in 1997. Its creation required as much as 1.3 billion dollars: not only were funds spent on luxurious interiors, but also on purchasing works of art at the most expensive and prestigious auctions in the world. All exhibits of the museum are placed according to the chronology of creation in 5 pavilions located on the territory of the Getty Center. The most famous masterpieces for which the museum's collection is famous are Van Gogh's Irises, paintings by Titian, Tintoretto, Monet and Rubens, a statue of Cybele dating back to the first century AD, and Pontormo's Portrait of a Young Man with a Halberd.
The State Tretyakov Gallery, named after the famous Russian collector Pavel Tretyakov, boasts the best collection of paintings by Russian masters and creators of the Soviet period in the world. Having decided to found a museum that would reflect as clearly as possible the features of Russian art school, Pavel Mikhailovich spent a lot of money and effort selecting and purchasing paintings and icons. His taste was so impeccable that getting a painting that Tretyakov had his eye on for the collection was considered the pinnacle of social recognition. Museum exhibits Tretyakov Gallery belong to the period from the 10th to the 20th centuries AD. and cover all areas of painting in the Russian land, including icon painting and avant-garde art. The numerous halls of the buildings included in the museum complex house many recognized masterpieces by Perov, Bryullov, Vrubel, Shishkin and Savrasov, and the most controversial and popular exhibit is the famous “Black Square” by Malevich.
One of the oldest museums in Europe, founded back in 1722, is located in the very center of the German city of Dresden. A separate building for the museum was built in 1855, when the collection of paintings by old masters already amounted to about two thousand copies - it was specially designed to form a harmonious ensemble with the rest of the buildings of the Zwinger palace complex. As a result of the bombing of the city during the Second World War, the complex, and with it the art gallery, were almost completely destroyed. More than two hundred masterpieces were lost forever, but the most famous ones were saved. The restoration of the paintings lasted for 20 years, over which professionals from all over the world worked hard, and the restoration of the Zwinger took about the same amount of time. Today the Dresden Art Gallery is a museum equipped with all modern devices. Its exhibition features fifteen works by Rembrandt, a dozen works by Van Dyck, Titian’s masterpieces “Caesar’s Denarius”, “Madonna and Family” and a beautiful creation by Raphael “ Sistine Madonna", which art connoisseurs from all over the world come to see.
The main New York museum, which has collected in its vaults one of the richest collections in the world artistic values, was founded in 1870 by several public figures and representatives of the art world. The first exhibits of the museum were works of art that were previously in private collections. Today, as more than 100 years ago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art exists thanks to funds raised from private investors, which are managed by the board of trustees. The most famous part of the museum, for which numerous guests come here, is the section of American decorative arts, numbering more than 12 thousand works by masters of the 17th-20th centuries, which required as many as 25 rooms to accommodate. Connoisseurs of painting await the main hall of the museum, where works of the great creators of the Renaissance are collected: Botticelli, Titian, Raphael and Tintoretto, as well as famous representatives Dutch school. Until this year, the “feature” of the Metropolitan Museum were tin button badges that replaced tickets, but now they had to switch to a paper version - the entrance fee became recommended, and not fixed, as before.
