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This article is part of a series celebrating Boss Hunting’s favourite corners of the United States. Click here to see more.
If you’re an art lover planning a visit to the United States, you likely already know how exceptional the galleries and museums are in the USA. While household names such as The Whitney and MoMA showcase some of history’s most important works there are dozens of world-class galleries around the country that are equally worthy of your patronage.
That isn’t to suggest that you should only visit smaller, boutique galleries while you’re in the USA — the larger institutions are internationally celebrated for a very good reason. However, if you really want to make the most of your time in smaller cities, experiencing transformative works of art you wouldn’t have otherwise known existed, then a schedule that ticks all of the best galleries in the cities you’re visiting is one you should plan.
To make sure you’re hitting all the right spots, almost no matter where you’re visiting in the USA, we wanted to write up a list of more than a dozen of the best galleries across the country. So even if you aren’t spending weeks in California or New York, you’re still able to see the best of what the US art world has to offer.
Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art, AR
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art was established by the Walmart-founding Walton family, with a focus on American art from Colonial times right up to the contemporary period. The museum’s collection includes over 5,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and even architecture, with notable works from Norman Rockwell, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Despite it being just over a decade since the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art first opened its doors, it is already among the very best art museums in the United States.
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, commonly referred to as “the Met,” is one of the largest and most celebrated art museums in the world. Located in the heart of New York City on 5th Avenue, the Met has a vast collection of over 2 million works of art from around the globe, spanning over 5,000 years of history. More than 3.2 million visitors flocked to the Met in 2022, to see the museum’s collection that includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and artefacts from ancient civilisations.
Carnegie Museum Of Art, PA
Located in the Oakland neighbourhood of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum Of Art was founded more than 120 years ago and today, hosts around 15 exhibitions every year. With 35,000 artworks in the current permanent collection, the museum is known for its paintings, Japanese prints, sculptures, contemporary glass, and even a focused collection on the development of the chair. If you’re in Pittsburgh visiting the world-famous zoo or botanical gardens, make sure you stay an extra day to experience the Carnegie Museum Of Art.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art, CA
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (or, the LACMA), is the largest art museum in the western United States, boasting a collection of over 150,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. With works that span thousands of years, the LACMA is known for its collection of American and Latin American art, as well as its collection of Islamic art.
Art Institute of Chicago, IL
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States and the world, with Chicago known internationally as a city with excellent galleries and museums. With nearly a century and a half of history behind it, the museum’s collection consists of more than 300,000 works of art that span five millennia, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. The Art Institute has no less than 11 different curatorial departments, but is especially well-known for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, as well as its collection of American art.
Museum of Modern Art, NY
The Museum of Modern Art, also known around the world as MoMA — another legendary museum in New York City — is regarded by many critics as owning one of the most important collections of modern art in the world. In total, the MoMA collection comprises more than 200,000 works of design and architecture, as well as paintings, sculptures, photographs, and digital media. MoMA is known for its collection of works by artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Andy Warhol, which more than 2.1 million art lovers visited in 2022.
Museum Of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
Longhorn steer and barbeque are probably what comes to mind when you think of Texas, however, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is one of the largest art museums in the country. Once you’ve seen the NASA Space Centre Houston and enjoyed some of the city’s renowned restaurants, get to grips with the Museum Of Fine Arts’ remarkable collection. It covers more than 6,000 years of history from every inhabited continent, with over 70,000 works of art that span painting, photography, sculpture, and the decorative arts. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is specifically known for its collection of Italian Renaissance painting, French Impressionism, American art and works from artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne.
The Broad, CA
One of the youngest museums on this list, The Broad is a contemporary art museum that was opened in 2015 and is located in Los Angeles, California. Despite its relative youth, the curatorial team has already collected more than 2,000 artworks from more than 200 different artists into The Broad collection. This collection includes works from the notable likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat, Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol, with a keen focus on contemporary art.
National Gallery of Art, DC
Located in the country’s capital, Washington, D.C., the National Gallery of Art is dedicated to showcasing American and European art from the Middle Ages to the present day. Home to more than 3.3 million visitors in 2022, the museum’s collection includes over 150,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts. The National Gallery is known for its collection of works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, as well as its famous attached Sculpture Garden. While you’re in D.C., you’d be remiss not to visit some of the city’s other important landmarks, including the Library of Congress and the Lincoln Memorial.
Walker Art Center, MN
The Walker Art Center of Minnesota is one of the most popular art museums in the United States, enjoying more than 700,000 visitors annually and home to no less than 13,000 artworks. These artworks include mediums such as books, costumes, drawings, sculpture, paintings, photography, and more, with notable contributions from Salvador Dalí, Jasper Johns, and Herman Miller. The Walker Art Center also has a heavy emphasis on learning at its campus, cementing it as a hub of art, media, design, and architectural education. The Walker Art Centre isn’t the only thing to enjoy in Minneapolis, however, with Minnehaha Falls loved by locals and tourists alike, as is the city’s zoo.
Whitney Museum of American Art, NY
The Whitney Museum of American Art, located in the Meatpacking District of New York City, is dedicated to showcasing the best of 20th and 21st-century American art. The museum’s collection includes over 23,000 works of art by over 3,500 artists. As the 10th most visited museum in the United States, The Whitney features works by the renowned likes of Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Man Ray, making it a must-visit if you’re staying in NYC.
Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum Of The West, AZ
If you’re expecting a building full of cowboy hats and rifles at the Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum Of The West, think again. Described as a museum of ideas more than objects, the 43,000-square-foot institution houses a sizable collection of paintings, drawings, and craft objects, as well as ceramic and pottery works that communicate the history of the American West in the United States and Canada. For those seeking a taste of the West, while enjoying the legendary golf courses and spas of Scottsdale, this museum is well worth a visit.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the United States, but with a little more than 400,000 visitors per year, it deserves much more recognition. The museum’s collection includes over 240,000 works of art, including paintings, photographs, sculptures, and armour, spanning over 2,000 years and displayed across more than 200 galleries. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is known for its collection of American art, as well as its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art which includes names like Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Salvador Dalí.
Dia Beacon, NY
Dia Beacon is a contemporary art museum located near the banks of the Hudson River in Beacon, New York, and is well-regarded as one of the largest spaces in the country showcasing modern and contemporary art. The museum’s collection includes works by artists such as Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, and Richard Serra, with Dia Beacon known for its focus on minimalism and conceptual art.
Cleveland Museum of Art, OH
The Cleveland Museum of Art is internationally renowned for its impressive collection of Asian and Egyptian artwork, which make up a large portion of the 61,000 artworks in its permanent collection. The collection is split across 16 different curatorial departments, which include works of painting, sculpture, photography, and more. Some of the most notable artists within the collection include names such as Botticelli, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, and Auguste Rodin.
The Getty, CA
The Getty (formally known as the J. Paul Getty Museum) is a museum and research institute located across the Getty Center and Getty Villa campuses in Los Angeles, California. The museum’s collection includes over 125,000 works of art, including drawings, illuminated manuscripts, paintings, and sculptures, with famous works from Claude Monet and Rembrandt. The Getty is known for its collection of European art, with the Getty Villa designed as a replica of the ancient Roman Villa dei Papiri to house these antiquities.
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