Europe is well known for its breathtaking historic cities and shorelines to marvel at, but that is not the only attribute that would make Europe a stunning destination to visit. Europe has always been regarded as being a continent with rich history, arts to be specific. Art museums here are known to have well-painted ceilings, paintings hanging on walls, guarded behind a glass case, unique sculpture, and architecture. Art museums around here are proud to have some of the most impressive artifacts ever seen in the world.
Here are the most famous art museums in Europe
- The Louvre in Paris, France
As an original fortress for Philip II in the 12th and 13th centuries, the museum opened its doors for exhibition in 1793. The museum houses the Mona Lisa, which is a famous art piece of all time. The Louvre is considered the largest museum globally and the most visited, with visitor numbers getting close to 9 million in a year. It is believed that it has vast grounds that if you spent just 2 minutes on every piece, it would take you three months to complete the entire space.
- Sammlung Boros in Berlin, Germany
The Sammlung Boros Museum is found inside a world war two bunker formerly used for fruit storage and a techno hub. The transformed bunker stands tall in Berlin’s Mitte district, a short distance from the Deutsches Theater in Berlin. The structure is segmented to hold an incredible treasure collection of contemporary art. Besides, it also accommodates the private collections by Collector Christian Boros, who lives with his family in the building’s upper section. The collection switches after every four years to feature new pieces, and at the moment, it has more than 500 pieces of art. Being a private museum, it is only accessible through appointment.
- The British Museum London, United Kingdom
Six of the most excellent museums in Europe are located in London, and one of them is the British Museum. Here you can explore human history dating back two million years ago, and also, there are 60 free galleries used to house collections collected from all around the world. It is also considered the finest Egyptian collection outside the country’s borders, accommodating the famous Rosetta stone, the foundation for decoding hieroglyphics.
- The Vatican museums Rome, Italy
The Vatican museum comprises twenty-two collections, the most popular one being the Museum Pio-clementine composed of classical sculptures. These Raphael rooms feature the artists’ giant painted murals, Pinacoteca’s portrait gallery, also known as Jewels from renaissance and medieval paintings. You will also find the most famous biblical art exhibition by Michelangelo, and it is incredible to marvel at the beautiful fresco of Adam on the ceiling. The Vatican museum also accommodates various collections from Egypt, Rome, Asia, and America; this could be another reason why visitor numbers reach a high of 6.9 million every year.
- Guggenheim museum in Bilbao, Spain
Housed in the unique museum construction on Earth, the Guggenheim is described as one of the most iconic modern times and is in Bilbao, Spain. Most of the works being displayed here are contemporary and collected from the mid-20th century to the present day. It focuses more on displaying European and American post-war paintings and sculptures. In this museum, they have presented large-scale art pieces and installations, one of them being Richard Serra’s ‘snake’ that takes up the entire gallery hall. There are also several traveling exhibitions by the Guggenheim Foundation, with museums in Venice and New York. Other displayed works are from artists like Warhol and Rothko.
- Museo Nacional El Prado in Madrid, Spain
The museum was initially constructed as a natural sciences museum. Currently, The Museo del Prado is considered one of the most excellent art museums globally and the first public museum. The Prado national museum displays a wealth of masterpieces from the classical era. When it opened its doors, most of the museum’s art collection was obtained from the Spanish royal family, who commissioned paintings from the most famous European Artist. El Prado also houses the most extensive Rubenesque collections worldwide, with the most notable being ‘the three graces’ by Rubens. It is nearly impossible to see every detail as the space is quite extensive. Still, visitors are lucky enough because the museum has provided many routes that allow people to focus on other masterpieces in the collection.
- The National Gallery in London, United Kingdom
The national gallery is located at the center of Trafalgar Square, which is used frequently for political and community gatherings. It is also the most popular public art museum in London. A government-commissioned agency obtained the gallery’s initial 36 paintings from a well-off banker. The other paintings, over 2300 have belonged to United Kingdom citizens because the entrance is not charged. It includes encyclopedia collections with works from artists such as Da Vinci, Claude Monet, and Van Gogh.
- The Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy
As a former building used as offices for Florence magistrates, the Uffizi gallery is regarded as the world’s most significant Renaissance paintings collection. It is also included among the most important art museums in Europe. Some of their best work featured are from the early medieval, mannerist, and baroque periods. Here we find collections of masterpieces from all Italian geniuses such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, and Caravaggio, making it a spectacular museum. The museum had a record of 2.1 million visitors in 2019.
- Tate Modern Museum in London, United Kingdom
The Tate museum has earned itself an exceptional reputation as the building itself is a transformed power station in London’s Bankside. Unlike the national gallery that holds collections of earlier paintings, Tate Modern is the main gallery for modern art in Britain. It holds British art collection back from 1900 to date, leading us to understand why it features both contemporary and modern art. Attracting more than 4.5 million visitors every year, Tate Modern is believed to be the most visited Modern art museum globally, with 6.1 million visitors yearly.
- The Hermitage in St.Petersburg’s Russia
The huge Hermitage in St. Petersburg was founded by Czarina Catherine the Great in 1764. The museum has expanded greatly since its foundation and now comprises six large structures along River Neva. The most significant section among them is the Winter Palace, which was once the Russian czars’ residence. The Hermitage houses the largest art collection globally, comprising more than three million pieces of art, mainly attributed to Western European art.
The museum has more than 120 rooms holding pieces of art with a span between the middle ages and now. Some of the renowned artists recognized at the museum include Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt, Goya, Matisse, Raphael, Leonardo Da Vinci, Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh. It is not surprising that the Hermitage is the most popular museum in Russia.