Art Museums of America
You don’t have to go all the way to Europe to experience art history. The United States is home to several impressive art museums and countless masterpieces. Below you’ll find a little bit about of all the museums I’ve visited so far including New York City, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Cleveland, & Washington D.C.
New York City
The Love Letter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1770-1773). The Met, New York City
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met is one of the largest and most comprehensive art museums in the world. It is home to art and artifacts spanning over 5000 years of history. Highlights include an entire Egyptian temple, several mummies, a Roman sculpture court, and a large collection of European paintings.
Because of it’s large scale, I’d recommend researching the collection ahead of time and planning what to prioritize. The Met also frequently collaborates with other museums to bring in paintings from all over the world for their special exhibitions.
The Unicorn Rests in the Garden, (1495-1505). The Met Cloisters, New York City
The Met Cloisters
The Met Cloisters are a bit far from downtown Manhattan, but are well worth the trip. In addition to an impressive collection of Gothic art and the famous Unicorn Tapestries, they have remnants of real medieval cloisters from Europe and gardens filled with common historical plants.
Visiting the Cloisters feels like stepping back in time and visiting the historical sites of Europe.
Madonna and Saints Adoring the Christ Child, Pietro Perugino (1500)
The Morgan Library, New York City
The Morgan Library
The Morgan Library was once J.P. Morgan’s private collection but is now open to the public. He collected many European paintings and sculptures, as well as rare books. Some of the rooms were inspired by the Papal Apartments in Vatican City, and pay tribute to Renaissance architecture.
This is a small and often underrated collection and is one of my favorite places in all of New York City.
King Menkaura and Queen, (2490–2472 B.C.), Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Museum of Fine Arts
MFA Boston is another large museum that spans most of art history. However, their specialty is Egyptian art. Archaeologists from Harvard were some of the first to explore Ancient Egyptian tombs and, due to their good relationship with the Egyptian government, MFA Boston boasts the best Egyptian collection outside of Cairo.
In addition to Egyptian art, MFA Boston has a large collection of American art and Impressionist paintings.
Boston
Rape of Europe, Titian (1560-1562). Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is home to Gardner’s personal collection. She left her collection to the public under the condition that everything about it remained the same, so the museum is exactly how she left it upon her death in 1924.
That is, of course, with the exception of the paintings stolen in the famous heist of 1990. The theft of a handful of paintings, including Rembrandts and a Vermeer, is the highest value art heist in history and remains unsolved to this day. The paintings’ empty frames still hang on the walls of the museum.
Baltimore
Motherhood, Marguerite Gérard, (1795-1800). Baltimore Museum of Art
The Baltimore Museum of Art
The BMA is a relatively small museum. It contains a collection of European paintings as well as ancient sculpture. They also feature more contemporary art, and have a large collection of Matisse paintings.
Fans of 20th century art will enjoy the BMA’s galleries, and will find that its smaller size makes it much more manageable to visit than some of the larger institutions.
Portrait of Augustus, (27 BC - 14 CE). The Walters, Baltimore
The Walters
The Walters is home to a very impressive ancient collection, particularly Greek and Roman sculpture. They also have several rooms of European paintings, including rooms designed to look like collection spaces of the 1800s instead of more ‘traditional’ museum layouts.
The Walters has a lot of personality and provides a unique viewing experience that feels somewhere between a standard museum and a private collection.
Japanese Bridge and Water Lilies, Claude Monet (1899).
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia is often associated with American history, but there is a good amount of art history in their museum. The museum is home to the famous Rocky Steps, named for the Rocky statue at their base. Inside the museum is a wide range of art, though the museum specializes in Impressionist and Asian art.
I prefer to visit the Philly art museum on Friday evenings, when they stay open late for live music, appetizers, and cocktails.
Philadelphia
Cleveland
Cupid and Psyche, Jacques-Louis David (1817). The Cleveland Museum of Art
The Cleveland Museum of Art
The CMA is considered one of the best Renaissance museums in the country, but they also have a large collection of Ancient Art and an Impressionist collection.
Many visitors also enjoy their armor court, full of authentic medieval weapons and suits of armor.
Washington D.C.
Ginevra de’ Benci, Leonardo da Vinci (1474-1478). The National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
The National Gallery of Art
The NGA is probably my favorite of the American art museums. Not only do they have a large collection of Renaissance, Dutch Golden Age, and Impressionist paintings, it’s conveniently located on the National Mall right in the heart of Washington D.C.
I earned my art history degree only a short metro ride away from the NGA, so I consider this to be my ‘home’ art museum. It’s also home to the only da Vinci painting in the Americas, so it’s definitely worth a visit.