60 Best Museums in the World and Their Best Artworks 2024

Built in 1902–04 with a façade in Russian fairy-tale style, the State Tretyakov Gallery is regarded as the world’s leading museum of Russian art, including thousands of works from the 11th to the 20th centuries.

In the halls of the gallery, you can see masterpieces by Nikitin, Kramskoi, Kiprensky, Ivanov, Perov, Repin as well as an exceptional collection of medieval icons and paintings.

- - Important Masterpieces: 14
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 37 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1416 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 24 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Ivan Kramskoi (1883), 75.5 cm × 99 cm (29.7 in × 38.9 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the State Tretyakov Gallery:

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


1) Portrait of an Unknown Woman, Ivan Kramskoi (1883), 
75.5 cm × 99 cm (29.7 in × 38.9 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The girl with peaches, Valentin Serov (1887), 
91 × 85 cm (35.8 in × 33.4 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 15 November 1581, Ilya Repin (1885), 
199.5 cm × 224 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Composition VII, Wassily Kandinsky (1913), 
200.6 × 302.2 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Religious Procession in Kursk Province, Ilya Repin (1880–83), 
175 cm × 280 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Demon Seated in a Garden, Mikhail Vrubel (1890), 
114 cm × 211 cm
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 6 paintings (click here)

The Egyptian Museum of Turin houses one of the largest and best collections of Egyptian antiquities in the world, with more than 30,000 artefacts (6,500 are exposed).

The museum reopened in 2015 after a very successful modernization. Highlights include the Statue of Ramses II and the intact tombs of Kha and Merit, the Mensa Isiaca and the rock temple of Thutmose III.

- - Important Masterpieces: 11
  - Highlight: Statue of a young Ramses II, Dynasty XIX (ca. 1539–1076 BCE), 77 cm × 53 cm (30 in × 21 in)

by robylab / CC BY-SA 2.0

The National Palace Museum houses an impressive collection of almost 700,000 ancient Imperial Chinese artifacts including Jade, paintings, bronzes, and porcelain formerly held in the Forbidden City of Peking and seen only by emperors.

The exhibits cover over 10,000 years of Chinese history from the Neolithic to the modern age. Around 3,000 items are displayed in several large palatial buildings spread over three floors. The National Palace Museum's main building was completed in 1965.

- - Important Masterpieces: 16
  - Highlight: The Jadeite Cabbage, Artist Unknown (19th century), 18.7 cm × 9.1 cm (7.4 in × 3.6 in)

by National Palace Museum / Public domain

Situated on the eastern side of Tiananmen Square, the National Museum of China is the second-most visited museum in the world, just after the Louvre.

The vast museum covers Chinese history from 1.7 million years ago to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Among the most important exhibits are the "Houmuwu" Rectangle Ding, a rectangular bronze sacrificial vessel made in the late Shang Dynasty (c. 1147–1112 BCE), the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, and a Han Dynasty jade burial suit laced with gold thread, created 55 BCE.

- - Important Masterpieces: 16
  - Highlight: "Houmuwu" Rectangle Ding (wine vessel) (Shang Dynasty, c. 1147–1112 BCE), height 133 cm, width 112 cm, depth 79.2 cm, 832.84 kg

by Mlogic / CC BY-SA 3.0

Neues Museum on Museum Island was masterfully reconstructed by the famous English architect David Chipperfield with a cost of approximately €295 million and reopened in October 2009 to highlight its Egyptian and Papyrus collection as well as its prehistory and early history collections.

The museum's star attractions are the renowned bust of Queen Nefertiti, presumably created in 1345 BCE, the mysterious Berlin Gold Hat (c. 1000 to 800 BCE, height: 74.5 cm), and the excellent bronze statue of the Xanten Youth (1st century CE).

- - Important Masterpieces: 5
  - Highlight: Bust of Queen Nefertiti (1345 BCE), 48 centimeters (19 in) high, Weight: 20 kilograms (44 lb)

by Philip Pikart / CC BY-SA 3.0

Open to the public free of charge, the National Gallery of Art is known for its world-class collection of paintings by the most renowned European and American artists from the 12th century to the present.

Highlights include masterpieces by Rogier van der Weyden, Johannes Vermeer, and Raphael.

- - Important Masterpieces: 24
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 210 (world-class), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 893 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 50 (world-class)
  - Highlight: Watson and the Shark by John Singleton Copley (1778), 182.1 cm × 229.7 cm (71.6 in × 90.4 in)

This is our selection of the eight best paintings of the National Gallery of Art:

(Click on images to open in lightbox)


1) Watson and the Shark, John Singleton Copley (1778), 
182.1 cm × 229.7 cm (71.6 in × 90.4 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The Girl with the Red Hat, Johannes Vermeer van Delft (1888), 
23.2 cm × 18.1 cm (9.1 in × 7.1 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Portrait of a Lady, Rogier van der Weyden (1460), 
34 cm × 25.5 cm (13 in × 10 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Portrait of Bindo Altoviti, Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1514)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci, Leonardo Da Vinci (1474-1478)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Annunciation, Jan van Eyck (1434–1436)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

7) Laocoon, El Greco (1604–1616)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain
 
8) Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), Winslow Homer (1873–76)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 8 paintings (click here)

The magnificent Pushkin State Museum of Arts, Moscow’s answer to St Petersburg’s Hermitage, is known worldwide for its extensive collection of late 19C French avant-garde artists.

Spread over three buildings, the museum houses one of the most significant collections of Impressionist and post-Impressionist works in the world.

- - Important Masterpieces: 14
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 36 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 8529 (mediocre), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 6 (mediocre)
  - Highlight: The Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas (1899), 65 cm × 65 cm (25.6 in × 25.6 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the Pushkin State Museum of Arts:

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


1) The Blue Dancers, Edgar Degas (1899), 65 cm × 65 cm (25.6 in × 25.6 in) 
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Return of the Bucintoro to the Molo on Ascension Day, Giovanni Antonio Canal (Canaletto) (1732), 182 cm × 259 cm (71.6 in × 14.1 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) The Red Vineyard, Vincent van Gogh (1888), 75 cm × 93 cm (29.5 in × 36.6 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Night Café at Arles, Paul Gauguin (1888)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Portrait of the Actress Jeanne Samary, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1877)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Prisoners Exercising, Vincent van Gogh (1890)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 6 paintings (click here)

Known as much for its steps as for the museum behind them, the Philadelphia Museum of Art features over two hundred galleries filled with treasures spanning continents and cultures.

The museum is famous for its impressionist and modern collection. Highlights include famous paintings by Paul Cézanne, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Salvador Dali (Soft Construction with Boiled Beans).

- - Important Masterpieces: 17
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 43 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 451 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 44 (excellent)
  - Highlight: At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1890), 115.6 cm × 149.9 cm (45.51 in × 59.02 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the Philadelphia Museum of Art:

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


1) At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1890), 
115.6 cm × 149.9 cm (45.51 in × 59.02 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The Bathers (The Large Bathers), Paul Cézanne (1887)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Prometheus Bound, Peter Paul Rubens (1885)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Vase with twelve sunflowers, Vincent van Gogh (1888-89)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834, J. M. W. Turner (1834-1835)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Fish-Magie, Paul Klee (1925)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 6 paintings (click here)

The J. Paul Getty Museum is equally well known for its great art, such as its striking architecture, large, designed gardens, and stunning views overlooking Los Angeles.

The museum is housed on two campuses on the northwest side of Los Angeles. The Getty Villa on the Pacific Coast Highway focuses on Greek, and Roman art and artifacts.

- - Important Masterpieces: 4
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 40 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1877 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 31 (excellent)
  - Highlight: Irises by Vincent van Gogh (1889), 71 cm × 93 cm (28 in × 36 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the J. Paul Getty Museum:

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


1) Irises, Vincent van Gogh (1889), 71 cm × 93 cm (28 in × 36 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Young Girl Defending Herself Against Eros, William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1880)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Christ's Triumphant Entry into Brussels in 1889, James Ensor (1888)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) The Entombment, Peter Paul Rubens (1612)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Spring, Édouard Manet (1881)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Mars and Venus; an allegory of Peace, Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (1770)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 6 paintings (click here)

This splendid palace complex with beautiful interior décor houses an outstanding collection of 19th- and 20th-century Austrian paintings.

At the Upper Belvedere Palace marvel at the world's largest collection of Gustav Klimt's paintings including his famous masterpieces "The Kiss" and "Judith and the Head of Holofernes" but also several famous works by Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka.

- - Important Masterpieces: 8
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 24 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2331 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 31 (excellent)
  - Highlight: The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907–1908), 180 cm × 180 cm (70.8 in × 70.8 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Belvedere:

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


1) The Kiss, Gustav Klimt (1907–1908), (1907–1908) 180 cm × 180 cm (70.8 in × 70.8 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Judith and the Head of Holofernes, Gustav Klimt (1901)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Napoleon Crossing the Alps, Jacques-Louis David (1801)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) After the Bath, Auguste Renoir (1876)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The embrace (Lovers II), Egon Schiele (1917)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

The Kunstmuseum Basel is home to one of Europe's oldest and most remarkable collections from medieval masters to 20th-century paintings.

In the halls of the gallery, you can admire the world's largest collection of paintings by the Holbein family as well as one of the most excellent Picasso exhibits outside of Paris.

Accessible from the original museum by a tunnel, a striking new (2016) extension across the street, called the Neubau, holds regularly outstanding temporary exhibits and displays selected items from the Kunstmuseum's permanent modernist collection.

- - Important Masterpieces: 14
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 51 (excellent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1808 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 21 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Bride of the Wind by Oskar Kokoschka (1914), 181 cm × 220 cm (71 in × 87 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Kunstmuseum Basel:

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


1) Bride of the Wind, Oskar Kokoschka (1914), 181 cm × 220 cm (71 in × 87 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Seated Harlequin, Pablo Picasso (1923) 
 by kunstmuseumbasel / 

3) Senecio, Paul Klee (1922)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Fate of the Animals, Franz Marc (1913)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The Cattle Dealer, Marc Chagall (1912)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb, Hans Holbein the Younger (1521–22)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

7) The Two Brothers, Pablo Picasso (1905-06)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

8) Macbeth and the Witches, Josef Anton Koch (1829-30)

9) Villa R, Paul Klee (1919)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

10) Isle of the Dead ("Basel" version), Arnold Böcklin (1880)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

Comparable to the Frick Collection in New York, this small but impressive collection highlights French and Dutch paintings, furniture, and decorative objects from the 15th-18th centuries in an elegant former estate home.

The collection opened to permanent public view in 1900 in Hertford House and remains there to this day. A condition of the request was that no object should ever leave the collection, even for loan exhibitions.

- - Important Masterpieces: 4
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 18 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 5174 (mediocre), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 33 (excellent)
  - Highlight: The Swing, Jean-Honore Fragonard (1767), 81 cm × 64.2 cm (31.9 in × 25.2 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Wallace Collection:

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


1) The Swing, Jean-Honore Fragonard (1767), 81 cm × 64.2 cm (31.9 in × 25.2 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The Laughing Cavalier, Frans Hals (1624)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Perseus and Andromeda, Titian (c. 1554–56)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Lady with a Fan, Diego Velázquez (c. 1638—39)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) A Dance to the Music of Time, Nicolas Poussin (1634–1636)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

The Oldmasters Museum (Museum of Ancient Art) is part of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels and dedicated to European painters from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

The museum holds an extensive collection of Flemish painting, among them paintings by Bruegel and Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin (the Master of Flémalle), Anthony van Dyck, and Jacob Jordaens.

- - Important Masterpieces: 6
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 14 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2979 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 39 (excellent)
  - Highlight: Death of Marat, Jacques-Louis David (1793), 165 cm × 128 cm (65 in × 50 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Oldmasters Museum:

(Click on images to open in lightbox)


1) Death of Marat, Jacques-Louis David (1793), 165 cm × 128 cm (65 in × 50 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, presumably an early copy of Pieter Bruegel the Elders lost original (1590-95)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) The King Drinks, Jacob Jordaens (1640)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Pity, Rogier van der Weyden (c. 1441-1441)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The Fall of the Rebel Angels the Fall of the Rebel Angels, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1562)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

The prestigious Hamburger Kunsthalle, one of the largest art museums in Germany, consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869, 1921 and 1997, and displays works from the Middle Ages to today.

It’s particularly known for its outstanding collection of German Romantic paintings, as well as its large modern art section.

The outstanding permanent collection consists mainly of impressionist and post-impressionist work.

- - Important Masterpieces: 18
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 50 (excellent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1642 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 31 (excellent)
  - Highlight: Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich (1818), 94.8 cm × 74.8 cm (37.3 in × 29.4 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Kunsthalle Hamburg:

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


1) Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich (1818), 94.8 cm × 74.8 cm (37.3 in × 29.4 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The Sea of Ice, Caspar David Friedrich (1823-24)  
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Madonna (Hamburg Version), Edvard Munch (1895) 
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Flora, Jan Massys (1559)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The Entry of Charles V into Antwerp, Hans Makart (1878)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Grabow Altarpiece, Master Bertram (1383)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

7) Phryne revealed before the Areopagus, Jean-Léon Gérôme (1861)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

8) The Goldfish, Paul Klee (1925)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

9) Self Portrait with a Model, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1910)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

10) Nana, Édouard Manet (1877)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

Founded in 1815, the Städel Museum houses one of the leading art collections in Germany, dating from 15th-century Dutch, German and Italian masterpieces to works by contemporary German and international artists.

In addition, the museum regularly houses outstanding temporary exhibitions like “Titian and the Renaissance in Venice” or “Making van Gogh” in 2019.

- - Important Masterpieces: 8
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 34 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2593 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 29 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci), Sandro Botticelli (1480-1485), 82 cm × 54 cm (32 in × 21 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Städel Museum:

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


1) Portrait of a Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci), Sandro Botticelli (1480-1485), 
82 cm × 54 cm (32 in × 21 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Portrait of a Woman (Idealized Portrait of a Courtesan as Flora), Bartolomeo Veneto (c. 1520)  
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Goethe in the Campagna, Johann Friedrich August Tischbein (1787)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) The Geographer, Johannes Vermeer (1669)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) The Bitter Draught, Adriaen Brower (1636-1638)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Lucca Madonna, Jan van Eyck (c. 14371438)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

7) Paradiesgärtlein, Oberrheinischer Meister (1410- 1420)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

8) The Blinding of Samson, Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1636)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

9) Madonna and Child with John the Baptist and Saint Elizabeth, Giovanni Bellini (1490–1500)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

10) Madonna and Child, Barnaba da Modena (1367)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

After the Alte Meister Painting Gallery has been renovated for around 50 million euros over the past seven years, it reopened in February 2020.

In addition to seven hundred paintings from the 15th through 18th centuries, 420 sculptures are also on display.

The museum's star attraction is undoubtedly the Sistine Madonna by Raphael.

- - Important Masterpieces: 8
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 30 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 1555 (excellent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 44 (excellent)
  - Highlight: Sistine Madonna, Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1512), 265 cm × 196 cm (104 in × 77 in)

This is our selection of the ten best paintings of the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister:

(Click on images to open in lightbox)


1) Sistine Madonna, Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio) (1512), 
265 cm × 196 cm (104 in × 77 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) The Procuress, Johannes Vermeer van Delft (1656)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) Sleeping Venus, Giorgione (1510)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window, Johannes Vermeer van Delft (c. 1658)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Dresden, View from the Right Bank of the Elbe Below the Augustus Bridge, Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal) (1747)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) Dresden Triptych (Triptych of Mary and Child, St. Michael, and the Catherine), Jan van Eyck (1437)
 
7) The Chocolate-Girl, Jean-Etienne Liotard (1744-45)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain 
 
8) Bathsheba at the Fountain, Peter Paul Rubens (1635)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

9) Portrait of a Boy, Pinturicchio (c. 1500) 
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

10) Charles de Solier, Sieur de Morette, Hans Holbein the Younger (1534-35)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

Housed in a grand neo-classical building built in 1909, the Museum of Fine Arts covers all parts of the globe and all eras, from the ancient world to contemporary times. Marvel at ancient Egyptian treasures, Asian and Persian fine arts, and works from ancient Greece and the Middle East.

The museum is home to 8,161 paintings, surpassed among American museums only by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Highlights include European Old Masters, Impressionists, and the Art of the Americas section with renowned works by John Singleton Copley and John Singer Sargent.

- - Important Masterpieces: 6
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 39 (impressive), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2088 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 29 (impressive)
  - Highlight: Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?, Paul Gauguin (1897), 139 cm × 375 cm (55 in × 148 in)

This is our selection of the ten highlights of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston:

(Click on images to open in lightbox)

1) Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? Paul Gauguin (1897), 139 cm × 375 cm (55 in × 148 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Watson and the Shark (Boston Version), John Singleton Copley (1778)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Dance at Bougival, Auguste Renoir (1883)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Saint Luke Drawing the Virgin, Rogier van der Weyden (1435-1440)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) Postman Joseph Roulin, Vincent van Gogh (1888)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

6) The Sower, Jean-Jean-François Millet (1850)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

7) Haystack in the Morning, Snow Effect, Claude Monet (1891)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

8) The Slave Ship, J. M. W. Turner (1840)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

9) King Menkaura (Mycerinus) and queen, unknown carver (2490–2472 BCE), 142.2 x 57.1 x 55.2 cm, 676.8 kg (56 x 22 1/2 x 21 3/4 in., 1492.1 lb.) 
  by Jen / CC BY-SA 4.0 

10) Lime Green Icicle Tower, Dale Chihuly (2011), 13.0 m × 2.1 m (42.5 ft × 7 ft)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 artworks (click here)

Comparable to the Frick in New York and the Wallace Collection in London, the Mauritshuis is one of the finest small art galleries in the world.

Housed in a small but delightful neoclassical mansion from 1637, the museum reopened in 2014 following a major renovation.

The interesting collection of the museum includes masterpieces such as Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring and Rembrandt's intriguing The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.

- - Important Masterpieces: 4
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 17 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 2374 (impressive), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 54 (world-class)
  - Highlight: Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer van Delft (c. 1665), 44.5 cm × 39 cm (17.5 in × 15 in)

This is our selection of the five best paintings of the Mauritshuis:

(click on images to open in lightbox)


1) Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer van Delft (c. 1665), 
44.5 cm × 39 cm (17.5 in × 15 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1632), 
216.5 cm × 169.5 cm (85.2 in × 66.7 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

3) The Bull, Paulus Potter (1647), 
235.5 cm × 339 cm (92.7 in × 133 in)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

4) View of Delft, Johannes Vermeer (ca. 1660), 
96.5 cm × 115.7 cm (38.0 in × 45.6 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Hans Holbein, Portrait of Robert Cheeseman (1533)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 5 paintings (click here)

This museum houses one of the best art collections in Italy in a wonderful palace.

- - Important Masterpieces: 4
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 22 (decent), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 4216 (decent), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 15 (decent)
  - Highlight: Judith Beheading Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi (1614–1620), 158.8 cm × 125.5 cm (62.5 in × 49.4 in)

This is our selection of the six best paintings of the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte:

(click on images to open in lightbox)


1) Judith Beheading Holofernes, Artemisia Gentileschi (1614–1620), 
158.8 cm × 125.5 cm (62.5 in × 49.4 in)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain

2) Madonna and Child and Two Angels, Sandro Botticelli (c. 1470)
  by Sandro Botticelli / Public Domain 

3) Drunken Silenus, José de Ribera (1626)
  by José de Ribera / CC BY-SA 4.0 

4) A Boy Blowing on an Ember to Light a Candle, El Greco (c. 1570–1572) 
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

5) Lucretia, Parmigianino (c. 1540) 
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

6) The Flagellation, Caravaggio (c. 1607–1608)
 by Wikimedia / Public Domain

Show top 10 paintings (click here)

This remarkable museum hosts one of the best private collections in the world. It displays works ranging from Antiquity to the early 20th century including tapestry, ceramics, jewelry, glassware, sculpture furniture, and paintings – all under one roof. The paintings part is not the main attraction.

- - Important Masterpieces: 2
  - Total Masterworks of Painting: 8 (mediocre), All Ranks of the Top 5 Paintings Added (low score is better): 16,151 (mediocre), Mentions of the Top 5 Paintings in Influential Art Books: 3 (mediocre)
  - Highlight: Madame Monet by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1872)

This is our selection of the ten highlights of the Museu Calouste-Gulbenkian Founder's Collection:

(click on images to open in lightbox)

1) Madame Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1872)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

2) Pallas Athena, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1655)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

3) Dragonfly lady broach, René Lalique (1562)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

4) Boy with Cherries, Édouard Manet (ca 1858)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

5) Ancient Egyptian funerary mask (380 BCE)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

6) Portrait of a Young Woman, Domenico Ghirlandaio (ca. 1490)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

7) The Reading, Henri Fantin-Latour (1870)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

8) Statue of Bacchus, Michael Rysbrack (1694–1770)
  by Shadowgate from Novara / CC BY-SA 2.0 

9) Lady and Child Asleep […], John Singer Sargent (1887)
  by Wikimedia / Public Domain 

10) The Mirror of Venus, Sir Edward Burne-Jones (1877)
  by Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0

Show top 10 artworks (click here)

The 60 Best Museums in the World 2024 (#41–60)

41. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow (Russia )

The World’s Leading Museum of Russian Art

42. Museo Egizio (Egyptian Museum), Turin (Italy )

Acknowledged to Be the Second-Best Egyptian Museum in the World

43. National Palace Museum, Taipei (Taiwan )

The World’s Largest Collection of Chinese Art

44. National Museum of China, Beijing (China )

This Immense Museum Covers Chinese History from 1.7 Million Years Ago until 1911

45. Neues Museum, Berlin (Germany )

The Museum Houses the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection with Its Famous Bust of Queen Nefertiti

46. National Gallery of Art, Washington (USA )

Impressive Collection of Pre-twentieth-Century European Art

47. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow (Russia )

One of the Most Significant Collections of Impressionist and Post-impressionist Works in the World

48. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia (USA )

One of the Most Important Art Museums in the US, with the Famous Rocky Steps on the outside and Remarkable Artworks on the Inside

49. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (USA )

A World-Class Museum on an Idyllic Hill, Which Includes Incredible Views of Los Angeles

50. Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna (Austria )

Outstanding Collection of 19th- And 20th-Century Austrian Paintings

51. Kunstmuseum, Basel (Switzerland )

A Splendid Permanent Collection Ranging from Medieval Art to the Present Day

52. Wallace Collection, London (United Kingdom )

A Small but Impressive Collection, Presented in an Elegant Former Estate Home

53. Oldmasters Museum, Brussels (Belgium )

Home to a Significant Collection of European Paintings from the 14th to the 18th Century

54. Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg (Germany )

Known for Its Outstanding Collection of German Romantic Paintings

55. Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, Frankfurt (Germany )

One of the Leading Art Collections in Germany

56. Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden (Germany )

Exceptional Collection Including the Sistine Madonna by Raphael

57. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (USA )

One of the Most Important Collections of Work from All Eras and Countries

58. Mauritshuis, The Hague (Netherlands )

One of the Greatest Art Galleries in the Netherlands

59. Museo di Capodimonte, Naples (Italy )

One of the Best Art Collections in Italy

60. Museu Calouste-Gulbenkian, Lisbon (Portugal )

One of the Best Private Collections in the World Ranging from Antiquity to the Early 20th Century

Remarks