Chicago, Illinois, USA
At its heart, though, the museum encourages the individual experience of works of art, the irreplaceable embodiments of the creative impulse from all times and areas. Our mission is to collect, preserve, and interpret these works of art for our 1.5 million visitors annually from around the globe. The Art Institute, founded in 1879, now has approximately 300,000 works of art in its permanent collection, stewarded by eleven curatorial departments and nearly 500 employees. This collection is housed in eight buildings—nearly one million square feet—at the heart of Chicago, one block from Lake Michigan and serving as the eastern anchor of the city's downtown. In addition to displaying the permanent collection, we host 30 special exhibitions and hundreds of gallery talks, lectures, performances, and events every year. We have one of the finest research libraries for art and architecture in the country as well as state-of-the-art conservation facilities that ensure that the art of the past carries on well into the future.
Visit websiteNew York City, New York, USA
The Cloisters museum and gardens, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe, was assembled from architectural elements, both domestic and religious, that largely date from the twelfth through the fifteenth century.
The building and its cloistered gardens—located in Fort Tryon Park in northern Manhattan—are treasures in themselves, effectively part of the collection housed there. The Cloisters' collection comprises approximately two thousand works of art.
Collection database online
Senior curator: Peter Barnet
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London, United Kingdom
The Courtauld Institute of Art is the world’s leading centre for the study of the history and conservation of art and architecture. Its Gallery houses one of Britain’s best-loved collections. Through its unique integration of activities, facilities and resources, The Courtauld provides an exceptional environment for research, learning and professional development.
Visit websiteLondon, United Kingdom
The Wallace Collection is a national museum which displays the wonderful works of art collected in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of the 4th Marquess. It was bequeathed to the British nation by Sir Richard's widow, Lady Wallace, in 1897.
Displayed at Hertford House, one of the family's London properties in the nineteenth century, the Wallace Collection presents its outstanding collections in a sumptuous but approachable manner which is an essential part of its charm.
Toledo, Ohio, USA
Since our founding in 1901, the Toledo Museum of Art has earned a global reputation for the quality of our collection, our innovative and extensive education programs, and our architecturally significant campus. More than 30,000 works of art represent American and European painting, the history of art in glass, ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works, Asian and African art, medieval art, sculpture, decorative arts, graphic arts, and modern and contemporary art.
Visit websiteGraz, Austria
The Universalmuseum Joanneum is considered the biggest of its kind in Central Europe. About 4,5 million items in the collections form the basis of a richly faceted ‘universal’ exhibition and events schedule. A programme of exhibitions and events at twelve locations throughout Styria transmit a unique panorama of science, art and culture.
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London, United Kingdom
The V&A has unrivalled collections of contemporary and historic art and design. It houses some of the world's greatest resources for architecture, fashion, photography, theatre and performance, sculpture, contemporary design, ceramics, Asian art and design, furniture, textiles, jewellery, metalwork and many more. There is extensive online access to authoritative information and the knowledge of leading experts.
Visit websiteLiverpool, United Kingdom
One of the finest art galleries in Europe, the Walker Art Gallery is home to renaissance masterpieces, Tudor portraits and one of the best collections of Victorian and Pre-Raphaelite art in the country. For 130 years it has housed Liverpool’s most outstanding art collection. Many of the gallery’s most important works have been on display in the city for nearly 200 years. The gallery also has an outstanding display of contemporary art including work by David Hockney, Lucian Freud and Bridget Riley.
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