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.
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- Important Masterpieces: 3
- Highlight: Piedra del Sol (Sun Stone), Aztec, created between 1502 and 1520 CE, 358 cm (141 in) in diameter
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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
Archaeological Museum
Gallery Space: 33,000 m2 (355,209 ft2)
Galleries: 23
Artworks on Display: ?
Established: 1964
Visitors (2017): 2,336,115
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): 70 pesos (ca. 3.5 USD)
Official Webpage (English): mna.inah.gob.mx
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.
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- 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)
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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)
Modern Art Museum
Gallery Space: 12,427 m2 (133,760 ft2)
Galleries: ca. 40
Artworks on Display: mostly temporary exhibitions
Established: 2000
Visitors (2014): 5,656,004
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): Free
Official Webpage (English): www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-modern
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.
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- 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)
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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)
Art Museum
Gallery Space: ca. 8,000 m2 (86,111 ft2)
Galleries: ca. 60
Artworks on Display: ca. 1,500
Established: 1992
Visitors (2017): 1.052.014
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): EUR 13
Official Webpage (English): museothyssen.org/en
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.
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- 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)
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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
Art Museum
Gallery Space: ca. 4,500 m2 (48,437 ft2)
Galleries: 19
Artworks on Display: ca. 800
Established: 1836
Visitors (2016): 193’570
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): EUR 7
Official Webpage (English): pinakothek.de/en
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.
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- 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)
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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
Art Museum
Gallery Space: 15,951 m2 (171,695 ft2)
Galleries: ca. 54 (Mikhailovsky Palace)
Artworks on Display: ?
Established: 1898
Visitors (2016): 991,931
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): 500 rubles (USD 8)
Official Webpage (English): en.rusmuseum.ru/
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.
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- 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)
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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)
Art and Archaeological Museum
Gallery Space: 4,738 m2 (51,000 ft2)
Galleries: ca. 20
Artworks on Display: ca. 6,000
Established: 1959
Visitors (2016): 953,925
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): USD 25
Official Webpage: guggenheim.org/
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.
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- 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)
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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
Art Museum
Gallery Space: 5,500 m2 (60,000 ft2)
Galleries: 16
Artworks on Display: ca. 1,400
Established: 1935
Visitors (2007): 330,000
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): USD 22
Official Webpage: frick.org/
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 18th-century hospital, which was marvelously expanded in 2005 with a striking red building designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel.
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- 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)
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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
Modern Art Museum
Gallery Space: 14,756 m2 (158,832 ft2)
Galleries: ca. 50
Artworks on Display: ca. 500
Established: 1992
Visitors (2017): 3,880,812
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): EUR 10
Official Webpage (English): www.museoreinasofia.es/en
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.
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- 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)
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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)
Modern Art Museum
Gallery Space: 17,000 m2 (180,000 ft2)
Galleries: ?
Artworks on Display: ca. 12,000
Established: 1977
Visitors (2018): 3,370,000
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): EUR 11
Official Webpage (English): centrepompidou.fr/en
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.
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- 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)
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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
Archaeological Museum
Gallery Space: 24,000 m2 (258,333 ft2)
Galleries: 38
Artworks on Display: ca. 400
Established: 1809
Visitors (2017): ca. 300,000
Entrance Fee (for 1 Adult): EUR 12
Official Webpage (English): pinacotecabrera.org/en/
This was part 4 (#31-40) of our list of the best museums in the world in 2024.
Click on the following links to discover part 1 (#1–10), part 2 (#11–20), part 3 (#21–30), part 4 (#31–40), and part 5 (#41–60).
Please check out also the results of our analysis to determine the best cities in the world to visit as a tourist in 2024 and our famous list of the best aquariums in the world in 2024.
We also created a video of the Top 50 Cities in the World in 2024 (ranked by 14 criteria):
