Art Museum sights in Europe
-
A
Glyptothek
If you're a fan of classical art or simply enjoy the sight of naked guys without noses (or other pertinent body parts), make a beeline to the Glyptothek. One of Munich's oldest museums, it's a feast of art and sculpture from ancient Greece and Rome amassed by Ludwig I between 1806 and 1830, and opens a surprisingly naughty window onto the ancient world.
An undisputed highlight is the marble Barberini Faun (220 BC), a sleeping satyr rendered in meticulous anatomical detail and striking a pose usually assumed by Playgirl centrefolds. Rooms X to XII contain superb busts, including one of a youthful Alexander the Great and several of Emperor Augustus. Also of note is the tomb…
reviewed
-
B
Musée Réattu
This splendid modern art museum is housed in the exquisitely renovated 15th-century Grand Priory of the Knights of Malta. Among its collections are works by 18th- and 19th-century Provençal artists and two paintings and 57 sketches by Picasso. It hosts wonderfully curated cutting-edge exhibitions.
reviewed
-
C
Musée du Bastion
Poet, artist, novelist and filmmaker Jean Cocteau loved Menton. It was following a stroll along the seaside that he got the idea of turning the disused 17th-century seafront bastion into a monument to his work. He restored the building himself, decorating the alcoves, outer walls and reception hall with pebble mosaics. The works on display change regularly.
reviewed
-
D
Musée d'Art Contemporain
Parc de la Tête d'Or's northern realms abut Lyon's contemporary art museum, which mounts edgy temporary exhibitions and the rotating permanent collection of post-1960 art. It closes for up to a couple of months between exhibitions, so check to make sure something's on.
reviewed
-
E
Musée de l’Érotisme
The Museum of Erotic Art attempts to raise around 2000 titillating statuary, stimulating sexual aids and fetishist items to a loftier plane, with antique and modern erotic art from four continents spread out across several floors. Some of the exhibits are, well, breathtaking, to say the least.
reviewed
-
F
Musée en Herbe
One of the city’s great backstreet secrets, this children’s museum is a surprise gem for art lovers of every age, not just kids. Its permanent exhibition changes every March and focuses on the work of one artist through a series of interactive displays.
Captions are in English as well as French, children get a jeu de piste (activity sheet) to guide and entertain, and additional workshops and guided visits for kids and adults – think hands-on art workshops, afternoon tea, early evening aperitif and so on (€6 to €10, reserve in advance) – add to the playful experience.
reviewed
-
G
Petit Palais
Like the Grand Palais opposite, this architectural stunner was also built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle, and is home to the Paris municipality’s Museum of Fine Arts. It specialises in medieval and Renaissance objets d’art such as porcelain and clocks, tapestries, drawings and 19th-century French painting and sculpture. There are also paintings here by such artists as Rembrandt, Colbert and Cézanne.
reviewed
-
H
Musée des Beaux-Arts
Daum-made art nouveau glass and a rich selection of paintings from the 14th to 21st centuries are among the star exhibits at this outstanding museum. Caravaggio, Rubens, Picasso and Monet masterpieces hang alongside works by Lorraine-born artists, such as Claude Lorrain's dreamlike baroque landscapes.
reviewed
-
I
V1 Gallery
V1 Gallery is one of Copenhagen’s most progressive art galleries, showcasing fresh work from both emerging and established local and foreign artists. Some of the world’s hottest names in street- and graffiti art have exhibited here, from Britain’s Banksy to America’s Todd James and Lydia Fong (aka Barry McGee).
reviewed
-
J
Musée de l'École de Nancy
A highlight of a visit to Nancy, the Musée de l'École de Nancy brings together an exquisite collection of art nouveau interiors, curvaceous glass and landscaped gardens. It's housed in a 19th-century villa about 2km southwest of the centre; to get there take bus 122 or 123 to the Nancy Thermal or Paul-Painlevé stop.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Tate Liverpool
Touted as the home of modern art in the north, this gallery features a substantial checklist of 20th-century artists across its four floors, as well as touring exhibitions from the mother ship on London's Bankside. But it's all a little sparse, with none of the energy we'd expect from the world-famous Tate.
reviewed
-
L
Musée de La Halle St-Pierre
Founded in 1986, this museum and gallery is in the lovely old covered St Peter’s Market. It focuses on the primitive and Art Brut schools; there is no permanent collection but the museum stages three temporary exhibitions a year. There’s a lovely cafe on-site.
reviewed
-
M
Musée Picasso
Pablo Picasso once wrote, "If you want to see the Picassos from Antibes, you have to see them in Antibes". Spectacularly positioned overlooking the sea, 14th-century Château Grimaldi served as Picasso’s studio from July to December 1946. The museum now houses an excellent collection of the master’s paintings, lithographs, drawings and ceramics, as well as a photographic record of the artist at work.
Particularly poignant is Picasso’s La Joie de Vivre (The Joy of Life), one in a series of 25 paintings from the Antipolis Suite. The young flower girl, surrounded by flute-playing fauns and mountain goats, symbolises Françoise Gilot, Picasso's 23-year-old lover, with…
reviewed
-
N
Sammlung Schack
Count Adolf Friedrich von Schack (1815–94) was a great fan of 19th-century Romantic painters such as Böcklin, Feuerbach and Moritz von Schwind. His collection is housed in the former Prussian embassy, now the Schack-Galerie. A tour of the intimate space is like an escape into the idealised fantasy worlds created by these artists.
reviewed
-
Musée d'Art Oriental Asiatica
Out on the edge of town is this unexpected treasure trove of ancient Indian, Chinese and Tibetan statues, monuments and temple artwork. The layout is a bit haphazard, but the information cards (in several languages) clearly explain the significance of the objects. It's generally considered the finest collection of its type outside Paris.
reviewed
-
O
Sammlung Ludwig Bamberg
For closer views, turning at the end of the Geyerswörthsteg then right again onto Obere Brücke brings you face to façade with the imposing tower, a baroque addition by Balthasar Neumann. It provides access to the precious porcelain and faïences - mostly from Strassbourg and Meissen - housed in the Sammlung Ludwig Bamberg.
reviewed
-
P
Landesgalerie
Housed in a sumptuous 19th-century building, the Landesgalerie exhibits 20th-century paintings, photography and installations that bear some relation to Upper Austria. Alongside masterpieces by Dürer and Kokoschka, you’ll find a peerless collection of fantastical works by the Austrian expressionist Alfred Kubin.
reviewed
-
Q
Musée Granet
Housed in a 17th-century priory of the Knights of Malta, this exceptional museum is named after the Provençal painter François Marius Granet (1775–1849), who donated a large number of works. Its collections include 16th- to 20th-century Italian, Flemish and French works. Modern art reads like a who's-who: Picasso, Léger, Matisse, Monet, Klee, Van Gogh and Giacometti, among others including the museum’s pride and joy, nine Cézanne works. Tickets sold to one hour before closing.
reviewed
-
R
Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse
Housed in a remarkably attractive 15th- and 17th-century poorhouse, the Hospice Comtesse Museum features ceramics, earthenware wall tiles, religious art and 17th- and 18th-century paintings and furniture. A rood screen separates the Salle des Malades (Hospital Hall) from a mid-17th century chapel (look up to see a mid-19th century painted ceiling).
reviewed
-
S
Fondation Dubuffet
Situated in a lovely 19th-century hôtel particulier (private mansion) at the end of a courtyard, the foundation houses the collection of Jean Dubuffet (1901–85), chief of the Art Brut school (a term he himself coined to describe all works of artistic expression not officially recognised). Much of his work is incredibly modern and expressive.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
T
La Pinacothèque
The top private museum in Paris, La Pinacothèque organises three to four major exhibits per year. Its nonlinear approach to art history, with exhibits that range from Mayan masks to retrospectives covering the work of artists such as Edvard Munch, has shaken up the otherwise rigid Paris art world and won over residents used to more formal presentations elsewhere.
Although the focus here is primarily on temporary exhibits, make sure to visit the permanent collection as well. Displayed thematically, it presents artwork rarely seen side by side in most other museums.
reviewed
-
U
Musée Cantini
Behind grand gates inside a 17th-century hôtel particulier, the Musée Cantini has rotating exhibitions. Its permanent collections of 17th- and 18th-century Provençal ceramics and landscapes of the region include André Derain's Pinède, Cassis (1907) and Raoul Dufy's Paysage de l'Estaque (1908).
reviewed
-
V
Musée des Beaux-Arts
This impressive museum is housed in a grand structure erected in 1870 and features a captivating collection of 15th- to 20th-century paintings. Artists include Caravaggio, Rubens, Modigliani, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley (lots) and (of course) several works by Monet, including a study of Rouen's cathedral (in room 2.33). Some rooms have laminated art history sheets in English.
reviewed
-
W
Musée Malraux
At the city centre's southwestern tip, this fantastic modern space houses a truly fabulous collection of Impressionist works – the finest in France outside of Paris – by luminaries such as Degas, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Sisley and Le Havre native Eugène Boudin. A section is devoted to Fauvist Raoul Dufy, also born in Le Havre. The temporary exhibits here are often of very high quality too.
reviewed
-
X
Museo Civico
Pistoia's Gothic Palazzo Communale is strung with works by Tuscan artists from the 13th to 20th centuries. Don't miss Bernardino di Antonio Detti's Madonna della Pergola (1498) with its modern treatment of St James, the Madonna and Baby Jesus; spot the mosquito on Jesus' arm.
Nearby, savour the rich portico of Ospedale del Ceppo, with its detailed 16th-century polychrome terracotta frieze by Giovanni della Robbia. Dramatically contrasting with the ancient facade is La Luna nel Pozzo (The Moon in the Well; 1999), a striking iron sculpture smart on the spot in front of the old hospital where a well once stood.
reviewed