|THE DEN|
Louvre Museum, Paris (1792)
It is the most visited art museum in the world, one of the largest and perhaps the most important. It sees the most foot traffic, it’s physically the largest, and it holds about 380,000 works of art, some of which are absolutely history’s most iconic.
The Louvre has one of the most important art galleries in Europe and the world, as well as a large group of sculptures, including the famous 'Venus de Milo'. It also includes an extensive collection of works from ancient Egypt, not to mention the glass pyramid at the museum's entrance, which has become another of its symbols.
THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, New York, (1870)
Across the pond and contemporary to the French, the Metropolitan Museum of Art houses treasures from classical antiquity to modern times. It is the largest and one of the most popular art museums, I mean we all tune-in annually to watch red carpet footage of the Met Gala.
It has paintings by classical authors such as Velázquez or Rembrandt, pieces from ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, a large collection of medieval and Islamic works, with an Egyptian temple, pieces from Japan and the Far East, etc; the number of works of art in this museum is truly incredible, and their provenance could not be more varied.
The Vatican Museums, Italy (1506)
Located in the historical and religious landscape of Vatican City,The Vatican Museums origins date back to 1506. Since then, the museum has expanded to display works collected by the Pope, leading to the creation of 54 galleries.
Along with Raccoon and his sons, Raphael's School of Athens, Michelangelo's Pieta, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling are one of the most important works of art preserved in the Vatican. Each year, the Vatican Museums is visited by approximately 6,427,280 visitors. There are a total of 24 galleries or rooms with the Sistine Chapel containing roughly 70,000 works, of which 20,000 are on display.
Prado Museum, Spain (1819)
The Prado Museum has one of the largest painting collections on the entire planet. It was Founded in 1819 as the Royal Museum of Paintings. Its collection largely reveals the artistic tastes of Spanish royalty with 'Las Meninas' by Diego Velázquez, 'The gentleman with his hand on his chest' by Greco or 'The executions of the second of May' by Goya.
The Prado Museum not only exhibits paintings but also has a large group of sculptures of great value. It is located on the Paseo del Prado. The Museum currently holds 7600 paintings. Some of the fascinating works on display include The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch, Portrait of a Cardinal by Raphael, and The Three Graces by Rubens.
State Hermitage Museum, Russia (1764)
Stretching over 700,000 square feet, The State Hermitage Museum is one of the largest museums in the world, second only to the Louvre in sheer size. Established in 1764, the museum houses over three million pieces making it the largest display of paintings in the world. This gloriously baroque blue and white building was the residence of the tsars for centuries to come.
Catherine II of Russia founded the museum that same year after acquiring 255 paintings from Berlin. The museum houses precious testimonies of Scythian art, objects from ancient Greece and Rome, and numerous paintings by Italian and French masters of Western Europe, whose works from the Middle Ages to the present day form the core of the collection including Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo, Titian, Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, Gauguin, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Goya.
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