Lisbon, Portugal
Comprising over 40,000 items, the MNAA collection has the largest number of works classified by the State as “national treasures”. In its various sections, it also has a number of major works of art in the context of the world artistic heritage. A historical legacy (resulting from the incorporations of both the country’s ecclesiastical property and the contents of its royal palaces), the MNAA collection has been further enhanced over the years through generous donations and important purchases, illustrating, at the level of objective excellence, some of the best artistic work produced or accumulated in the above areas in Portugal, between the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Contemporary Era. As a major partner in international collaborations between museums, the MNAA has historically enjoyed the normal dignity of a national museum: it is the museum that establishes the accepted norms for good practices, once more in keeping with international standards, both in the area of conservation and museum management and under the scope of its education service, which is considered to be a pioneering body in Portugal.
Visit websiteUtrecht, The Netherlands
The collection of Museum Catharijneconvent comprises unique historical and art-historical exhibits ranging from the early medieval period to the 21st Century. This collection offers an insight into the Christian art and cultural history of the Netherlands and its influence on Dutch society.
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Curator sculpture collection: Micha Leeflang
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Leipzig, Germany
Maximilian Speck von Sternburg was one of the 19th century’s major art enthusiasts; together with her husband, Marion Bühler-Brockhaus compiled a significant collection of 19th century French paintings; Harald Falckenberg from Hamburg is among the most prominent contemporary collectors. With their dedication, they – and many others – join ranks in an over 150-year-old tradition: around 1858, Leipzig-based merchants, publishers, retailers and bankers founded the Leipzig Museum of Fine Arts. Since then, numerous collectors have followed in their footsteps and have generously contributed endowments and gifts to the museum. Their private passion and their personal touch are ever-present on a stroll through the collection.
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Curator sculpture collection: Jan Nicolaisen
Antwerp, Belgium
The collector Fritz Mayer van den Bergh (1858-1901) was passionate about art and far ahead of his time. He had a nose for works that were of little interest to others then, but are universally admired now. His special field of interest was the art of the Low Countries from the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance (14th – 16th century), and he had a partiality for Bruegel.
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Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Today the MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world; the collection encompasses nearly 450,000 works of art. We welcome more than one million visitors each year to experience art from ancient Egyptian to contemporary, special exhibitions, and innovative educational programs.
Visit websiteBudapest, Hungary
The millenary session of the Hungarian Parliament in 1896 passed a law whereby art collections previously held in different institutions were to be unified and placed in the newly-established Museum of Fine Arts. On the basis of a competitive tender, Albert Schickedanz and Fülöp Herzog were commissioned to design and construct the building, which opened in 1906. The gallery displaying original paintings was placed in the first floor halls of the neo-classical building; however, only plaster casts were available to illustrate a complete history of European sculpture. It was for these life-size copy sculptures that the Doric, Ionic, Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque halls on the ground floor were designed, imitating the styles of individual periods of art history. However, as the number of original works increased, so the plaster sculptures were forced out of the building (the only one remaining, a copy of the group in the pediment of the temple of Zeus at Olympia, can be seen on the tympanum above the Museum's main entrance), and the ground floor galleries are now also used to display original works of art. On the ground floor are the exhibitions of the Classical Antiquities and of 19th century paintings and sculptures; the Renaissance hall, where in addition to Renaissance frescoes and fountains items from the Sculpture Collection may be seen; the Prints and Drawings Gallery with temporary exhibitions; and the Marble and Baroque halls.
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Curator of sculpture collection: Miriam Szocz
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Antwerp, Belgium
The Plantin-Moretus Museum is a museum in Antwerp, Belgium honouring the printers Christophe Plantin and Jan Moretus. It is located in their former residence and printing establishment, Plantin Press, at the Friday Market.
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