Impressive Art Museums in the US

Boston, Massachusetts

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is among the oldest institutions in the US. The museum features over 50,000 artworks, among them Korean art, Egyptian artifacts, works by old masters, and a huge John Singer Sargent collection. One of the favorite exhibits features iconic artworks by various indigenous cultures in North, Central, and South America. Visitors can also enjoy contemporary art displays.

Chicago, Illinois

The Art Institute of Chicago makes its home in a grand Beaux-Arts building. The entrance is flanked by two bronze lions. The permanent collection had more than 300,000 artworks. It is known for its impressionist and post-impressionist artworks. Visitors will also see paintings from the Byzantine era and early European and American furnishings from the 13th to 20th centuries. The first and third floors display modern art and sculpture, and on the second floor are displays of European and Impressionist art.

Cleveland, Ohio

The Cleveland Museum of Art was founded in 1913 and features more than 61,000 works of art. It is home to paintings, installations, photos, artifacts, and sculptures. Among the artist features are Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, and Vincent van Gogh. There are also programs for people of all ages, including the interactive, hands-on Studio Play for children.

Detroit, Michigan

The Detroit Institute of Arts is housed in a building dated from 1927. It is often called the Temple of Arts and is a good example of Beaux-Arts. The museum includes a 380-seat lecture hall and a 1,150-seat auditorium. There are more than a hundred different galleries with a permanent collection that includes a self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh and the iconic Detroit Industry fresco by Diego Rivera. Many events and programs are held here, including book discussions and concerts.

Los Angeles, California

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art/LACMA opened in 1965 and is an encyclopedic museum. The complex is made up of many individual buildings that are each dedicated to different collections. The museum displays Islamic artifacts, modern artwork, European impressionist paintings, Korean and Japanese art, Greek art, Mexican art, fashion, design, and jewelry.

The museum is known as a good selfie and photo destination due to two art installations:

Urban Light by Chris Burden, featuring rows of steel gray street lamps

Levitated Mass by Michael Heizer, featuring a huge boulder that appears to be “floating” in suspension above a path.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Art Museum consists of three buildings. Among the highlights are paintings by American artists of the Ashcan School, American and European decorative arts, 19th-century German art, and early 20th-century German expressionist art. There is also a large collection of the artwork of Wisconsin-born artist Georgia O’Keefe. The museum's basement also has a unique collection known as Chair Park, where you can try out various famous chairs, such as the Tulip Chair of Eero Saarinen and the Peacock Chair of Frank Lloyd Wright.

New York City

The Metropolitan Museum of Art/The Met is housed in a Gothic Revival building in the borough of Manhattan right by Central Park. (pictured above) Visitors enjoy viewing the permanent collections in the Great Hall. On display are classical antiques, Ancient Egyptian antiquity, Greek and Roman art, Islamic exhibits, Asian textiles, and iconic clothing. There are also rotating and temporary exhibits.

The museum’s permanent collection consists of over two million artworks. With such an extensive collection, the museum is divided into two sections, with the main building along the Museum Mile on the eastern edge of Central Park on the Upper East Side. The smaller location is at The Cloisters at Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan with an extensive collection of art, architecture, and artifacts from medieval Europe.

The Museum of Modern Art/MOMA offers visitors artworks from pop culture and the 20th century. The museum is located in Midtown Manhattan. This is the place to visit for contemporary art. In the permanent collection are such artworks as Starry Night by Van Gogh, Water Lilies by Monet, and Les Demoiselles d'Avignon by Picasso. You’ll also find the Campbell’s Soup Cans by Warhol and the Persistence of Memory by Dali, as well as others. Fashion, film, and photography are all on display.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Museum of Art was designed based on the temples of ancient Greece. The museum features 200 galleries and displays the artwork of Cezanne, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso, and more, as well as the collections of European, Asian, and American art. The museum complex includes an Indian temple hall, a Japanese tea house, and a Chinese palace from the 17th century. The steps of the museum are also famous and were the steps that Sylvester Stallone ran up in the iconic scene in the film “Rocky,” where the main character runs up the 72 steps in front of the building.

Washington, D.C.

The National Gallery of Art is located close to the Capitol Building and consists of two buildings. The museum buildings are on the National Mall at Constitution Avenue. The West Building was inspired by the Roman Pantheon, and it features older works of art.

The East Building is modern and houses modern works of art. The museum focuses on American and European art and features photos, sculptures, paintings, prints, and much more.