Best Museums in the World and Their Best Artworks (updated 2024)

Established in 1964 in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park, this archaeology museum is arguably Mexico's City's finest museum.

The museum's star attraction is undoubtedly the original Aztec Sunstone (or Calendar Stone), rediscovered on 17 December 1790 during repairs on the Mexico City Cathedral.

- - Important Masterpieces: 3
  - Highlight: Piedra del Sol (Sun Stone), Aztec, created between 1502 and 1520 CE, 358 cm (141 in) in diameter

This is our selection of the five best artworks of the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])

1) Piedra del Sol (Sun Stone), Aztec, 1427 C.E., 358 cm (141 in) in diameter
 Anagoria / CC BY-SA 3.0 

2) Statue of Xochipilli (Prince of Flowers), Aztec, 1450-1500 C.E., 1.2 m high
 by Antony Stanley / CC BY-SA 3.0 

3) Statue of the goddess Coatlicue, Aztec, 1439 or 1491 C.E., 2.7 m (8.9 ft)
 by Luidger  / CC BY-SA 3.0 

4) Olmec colossal head, Olmec, ca. 900 B.C.E.
 by Luidger / CC BY-SA 3.0 

5) Mortuary mask of K'inich Janaab' Pakal (replica), Mayan
 by Wolfgang Sauber / CC BY-SA 3.0

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Based in the former Bankside Power Station, Tate Modern is one of the largest and most important museums of modern and contemporary art in the world.

The museum is especially known for its outstanding temporary exhibitions. From the terrace of the new Blavatnik Building, you can enjoy wonderful 360-degree views of London.

- - Important Masterpieces: 8
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 52 (excellent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 3101 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 21 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Self Portrait with Model by Christian Schad (1927), 76 × 62 cm (30 in × 24 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Tate Modern:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])

1) Self Portrait with Model, Christian Schad (1927)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) The Elephant Celebes, Max Ernst (1921)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Morning, Dod Procter (1926)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Jeanne Hébuterne, Amedeo Modigliani (1918) 
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) Honeymoon Nude, John Currin (1998)

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Assembled by Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza and his son Hans Heinrich (1921-2002) Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza museum houses arguably the most important private collection in the world.

It illustrates the history of Western art from the primitive Flemish and Italian painters in the 13th century to 20th-century Pop Art.

- - Important Masterpieces: 11
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 46 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1619 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 22 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni by Domenico Ghirlandaio (1489–90), 77 cm × 49 cm (30 in × 19 in)

The Top 10 highlights of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza include the following masterpieces:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])

1) Portrait of Giovanna Tornabuoni, D. Ghirlandaio (1489–90)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) The Annunciation Diptych, J. van Eyck (ca. 1433–35)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Saint Catherine of Alexandria, Caravaggio (ca. 1598–99)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Venus and Cupid, P. P. Rubens (ca. 1606–11)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) King Henry VIII, H. Holbein (1537) 
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

6) Seated Man, P. Cézanne (1905–1906)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

7) Swaying Dancer (Dancer in Green), E. Degas (1877–79)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

8) Fränzi in front of Carved Chair, E. L. Kirchner (1910)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

9) Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee [...], S. Dalí (1944)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

10) Young Knight in a Landscape, V. Carpaccio (ca. 1505)

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The Alte Pinakothek, one of the oldest museums in the world, is home to one of the world's most significant collections of European paintings from the 14th to the 18th century.

In the halls of the gallery, you can see famous masterpieces by Botticelli, Dürer, da Vinci, and Rogier van der Weyden amongst many others.

- - Important Masterpieces: 17
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 73 (excellent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 553 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 54 (world-class)
  - Highlight: Ecce Homo (Self-portrait at 28) by Albrecht Dürer (1500), 67.1 cm × 48.9 cm (26.4 in × 19.2 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Alte Pinakothek:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])


1) Ecce Homo (Self-portrait at 28), Albrecht Dürer (1500), 67.1 cm (26.4 ″) × 48.9 cm (19.2 ″)
  by Wikimedia, Albrecht Dürer / Public Domain 

2) Lamentation over the Dead Christ, Sandro Botticelli (1495), 140 cm (55.1 ″) × 209.2 cm (82.3 ″) 
 by Wikimedia, Sandro Botticelli / Public Domain 

3) Madonna of the Carnation, Leonardo da Vinci (1478), 42 × 67 cm (16.5 × 26.3 ″)
 by Wikimedia, Leonardo da Vinci / Public Domain 

4) Triptych: St. Columba Altarpiece, Rogier van der Weyden (1455), 138 × 153 cm
 by Wikimedia, Rogier van der Weyden / Public Domain 

5) Battle of Alexander at Issus, Albrecht Altdorfer (1529), 158.4 cm × 120.3 cm
 by Wikimedia, Albrecht Altdorfer / Public Domain

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

Focusing solely on Russian art from ancient church icons to 20th-century paintings this massive museum complex houses a magnificent collection. Most of it is displayed in the Mikhailovsky Palace.

- - Important Masterpieces: 10
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 28 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1873 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 20 (impressive)
  - Highlight: The Last Day of Pompeii by Karl Briullov (1830-1833), 456.5 cm × 651 cm (179.7 in × 256 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the State Russian Museum:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])


1) The Last Day of Pompeii, Karl Briullov (1830-1833)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Barge Haulers on the Volga, Ilya Repin (1872-73)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Knight at the Crossroads, Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov (1882)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) The Ninth Wave, Ivan Aivazovsky (1850)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) The Angel with Golden Hair, Unknown (12th century)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

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Opened in 1959, the best part of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is in our opinion the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building itself, a landmark work of 20th-century architecture with its spectacular main gallery encircled by a 400 meter (0.25 miles) long spiral ramp.

The interesting collection of the museum includes modern artworks from Kandinsky, Marc Chagall, Paul Klee, and Modigliani.

- - Important Masterpieces: 6
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 19 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1696 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 18 (decent)
  - Highlight: Composition VIII by Wassily Kandinsky (1923), 140 cm × 201 cm (55.1 in × 79.1 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])


1) Composition VIII,Wassily Kandinsky (1923)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Red Balloon, Paul Klee (1922)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Paris Through the Window, Marc Chagall (1913)  
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Knight Errant, Oskar Kokoschka (1915)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) Jeanne Hébuterne with Yellow Sweater, Amedeo Modigliani (1918–1919)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

6) Woman with Yellow Hair, Pablo Picasso (1931)

Show top 6 paintings (click here)

Opened in 1935, this small museum houses the exceptional collection of industrialist Henry Clay Frick (1849–1919) in an opulent Neoclassical-style mansion. The nineteen rooms surround a beautifully covered court with tropical plants and a small central pond.

Among the highlights of the museum are three paintings by Vermeer as well as outstanding works by Ingres, Renoir, and Titian.

- - Important Masterpieces: 3
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 20 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 3781 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 19 (decent)
  - Highlight: Louise de Broglie, Countess d'Haussonville by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1845), 131.8 cm × 92 cm (51.8 in × 36.2 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Frick Collection Museum:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])


1) Louise de Broglie, Countess d'Haussonville, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1845)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Portrait of a Man in a Red Cap, Titian (1510)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) St. Francis in Ecstasy, Giovanni Bellini (1478)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Mistress and Maid, Jan Vermeer (1667)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) Girl Interrupted at Her Music, Jan Vermeer (1658–1661)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

6) The Four Seasons (Spring), François Boucher (1755)
 
7) Mother and Children (La Promenade), Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1875–76)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
 
8) Officer and Laughing Girl, Jan Vermeer (1657)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain  
 
9) Saint Jerome, El Greco (c. 1590–1600)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain   
 
10) Harmony in Pink and Grey (Portrait of Lady Meux), James McNeill Whistler (1881)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

The main reason people visit this famous museum of modern art is for Pablo Picasso’s enormous (3.49 meters [11 ft 5 in] tall and 7.76 meters [25 ft 6 in] wide) anti-war painting “Guernica,” depicting Basque civilians suffering a bombing raid during the Spanish Civil War.

Spain's national museum of 20th-century art is housed in a vast former 18^th-century hospital, which was marvelously expanded in 2005 with a striking red building designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel.

- - Important Masterpieces: 5
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 7 (mediocre), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 7690 (mediocre), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 10 (decent)
  - Highlight: Guernica by Pablo Picasso (1937), 349.3 cm × 776.6 cm (137.4 in × 305.5 in)

Apart from Picasso’s iconic masterpiece “Guernica”, the quality of the collection is significantly lower than in the neighboring Prado or the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza.

1) Guernica, Pablo Picasso (1937) 

2) Face of the great masturbator, Salvador Dalí (1929)

3) Cubist Self-portrait, Salvador Dalí (1923)

4) Woman in Blue, Pablo Picasso (1901)

5) Un mundo, Ángeles Santos (1929)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

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by Pablo Picasso (detail)

Opened in 1977, the Centre Georges-Pompidou is famous for its spectacular postmodern architecture and home to the Museum of Modern Art.

The building, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers and built in 1977, offers spectacular 360-degree views from the rooftop.

- - Important Masterpieces: 26
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 82 (excellent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2600 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 19 (decent)
  - Highlight: Yellow, Red, Blue by Wassily Kandinsky (1925), 128 cm × 201.5 cm (50.3 in × 79.3 in)

This is our selection of the 5 best paintings of the Centre Georges-Pompidou:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])


1) Yellow, Red, Blue, Wassily Kandinsky (1925) 
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Partial Hallucinations: Six Apparitions of Lenin on a Grand Piano, Salvador Dali (1931)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) The Blue Room, Suzanne Valadon (1923) 

4) Young Girl in Green, Tamara de Lempicka (1931) 

5) The Painter's Studio, Raoul Dufy (1935)

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

Housed in a wonderful 17th-century palace, the Pinacoteca di Brera displays one of the leading collections of 14th-20th century Italian paintings in the world, including several of the greatest masterpieces by Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Mantegna, and Caravaggio.

- - Important Masterpieces: 9
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 24 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1795 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 39 (excellent)
  - Highlight: Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio (1606), 141 cm × 196.2 cm (56 in × 77.2 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Pinacoteca Brera:

(click on the images to open in lightbox [recommended])

1) Supper at Emmaus, Caravaggio (1606)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
2) Lamentation of Christ, Andrea Mantegna (1480)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
3) The Marriage of the Virgin, Raphael (1504)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
4) The Kiss, Francesco Hayez (1859)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
5) Madonna della Candeletta, Carlo Crivelli (1490)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
6) Holy Conversation, Piero della Francesca (1472–74)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
7) The Last Supper, Peter Paul Rubens (1630–31)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
8) Pieta, Giovanni Bellini (1460)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
9) Christ at the Column, Donato Bramante, (1490)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
10) St Mark Preaching in Alexandria, Giovanni Bellini, (1504–07), 347 cm (11.3 ft) x 770 cm (25.2 ft)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

60 Best Museums in the World 2024 (Including Their Best Artworks) (#31–40)

31. National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City (Mexico 🇲🇽)

Contains the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican art

32. Tate Modern, London (United Kingdom 🇬🇧)

Britain’s Famous National Gallery of International Modern Art and Forms

33. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (Spain 🇪🇸)

Arguably the Most Important Private Collection in the World

34. Alte Pinakothek, Munich (Germany 🇩🇪)

Home to One of the World’s Most Significant Collection of European Paintings from the 14th to the 18th Century

35. State Russian Museum , Saint Petersburg (Russia 🇷🇺)

The World’s Finest Collection of Russian Paintings

36. Guggenheim Museum, New York (USA 🇺🇸)

Modern Art Presented in a Landmark Work of 20th-Century Architecture

37. Frick Collection, New York (USA 🇺🇸)

Exceptional Collection of Industrialist Henry Clay Frick in an Opulent Neoclassical-Style Mansion

38. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid (Spain 🇪🇸)

Home to Pablo Picasso’s Gigantic Anti-war Painting “Guernica”

39. Centre Georges-Pompidou, Paris (France 🇫🇷)

Spectacular Postmodern Architecture Houses the Largest Modern Art Museum in Europe

40. Pinacoteca Brera, Milan (Italy 🇮🇹)

One of the Leading Collections of 14th-20th Century Italian Paintings in the World