The 29 best art museums in America

What is it? Established by three women in the 1920s, the Museum of Modern Art, along with MoMA PS1 in Queens, displays some of the most impressive artworks from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

Why go? Its permanent collection encompasses six curatorial departments: architecture and design, drawings and prints, film, media and performance, painting and sculpture, and photography. Millions of visitors come here annually. Highlights include Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory and masterpieces by Giacometti, Hopper, Matisse, Monet, O’Keeffe, Pollock, Rothko, Warhol and many others. The Philip Johnson-designed Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Sculpture Garden, which dates to 1939, contains works by Calder, Rodin and Moore.

Time Out tip: Don't miss the onsite Michelin-starred restaurant, The Modern, which overlooks the garden.

Price: $30.

What is it? Another renowned, world-class art museum established by a woman.

Why go? Officially founded in 1930 by sculptor and art patron Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, the institution holds more than 25,000 pieces from approximately 3,600 artists, including Willem de Kooning, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Claes Oldenburg. It began as a studio in Greenwich Village and hopped to several different spaces before its current siting in the Meatpacking district at the foot of the High Line. Its reputation has rested primarily on its temporary shows, particularly the prestigious and controversial Whitney Biennial. Today’s nine-story, steel-and-glass building was designed by Renzo Piano with space for a comprehensive display of the collection, including iconic works such as Alexander Calder’s Circus and Jasper Johns’s Three Flags.

Time Out tip: The dramatic, asymmetrical structure features a series of outdoor terraces: on floors five through eight, you can take in alfresco sculptures and installations while admiring sweeping views of the Hudson River and the city.

Price: $30.

What is it? A massive institution comprising 17 curatorial collections and more than 2 million objects.

Why go? The Met preserves ancient treasures such as an entire  Egyptian temple from 10 B.C.E.—the Temple of Denfur in its own glass atrium—and modern works by artists such as Kara Walker, Louise Nevelson and Helen Frankenthaler. This May, the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing reopened after its $70 million renovation, with collections focused on the arts of sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania and the ancient Americas. The 19th-century and early 20th-century European galleries contain some of the Met’s most famous works, namely the two-room Monet holdings and a colony of Van Goghs that includes his oft-reproduced Irises. 

Time Out tip: Don’t miss the Cloisters, with a chance to experience the art, architecture and gardens of medieval Europe.

Price: $30.

What is it? A comprehensive institution which owns nearly 300,000 artworks and artifacts from all over the world and from every era.

Why go? Our favorite pieces include Japanese prints, blueprints and furniture by Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Thorne Miniature Rooms. Meanwhile, the light-filled Modern Wing is the perfect place to enjoy the architecture and design collections, modern and contemporary art, and, to top it off, gorgeous views of Millennium Park. Several of the most famous paintings in the world call this museum their permanent home, including Van Gogh’s The Bedroom, Grant Wood’s American Gothic and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. 

Time Out tip: Watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and then recreate Cameron's dazed enjoyment of Georges Seurat's Pointillist masterpiece A Sunday on La Grande Jatte.

Price: $32.

What is it? One of the top art museums in the country, holding an encyclopedic collection of 65,000 works.

Why go? Founded in 1885 but now housed in a 1927 Beaux Art building termed the ‘Temple of Art,’ the Detroit Institute of Arts offers a show-stopper across east and west walls in its vast open court: Diego Rivera’s modernist Detroit Industry Murals fresco cycle. The DIA is also known as holding the first Van Gogh painting to enter a U.S. museum collection, his Self-Portrait from 1887, acquired in 1922. The General Motors Center for African American Art curatorial department was established in 2000 to expand the museum's collection of African American art.

Time Out tip: Try to schedule your visit to include a movie screening at the grand Detroit Film Theatre, a 1927 movie palace adorned with golden walls at the museum’s John R entrance.

Price: $24.

What is it? One of the best art museums in the world, with extensive collections.

Why go? Pittsburgh investment banker and industrialist Andrew Mellon donated the National Gallery’s neoclassical West Building to the nation in 1941. His son, Paul, commissioned the East Building, designed by I.M. Pei, which opened in 1978. The former’s sky-lit main floor covers European and American art from the 13th to the early 20th centuries, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci, Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi and Jan van Eyck’s Annunciation. The sculpture galleries contain the world’s largest and most important collection of Edgar Degas’s original wax sculptures. After three years of construction, the East Building reopened in the summer of 2022, boasting two spectacular towers and a roof terrace outdoor sculpture garden overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue.

Time Out tip: An underground concourse connects the two buildings via a moving walkway through Multiverse, a starry installation by American artist Leo Villareal. 

Price: Free.

What is it? LACMA is truly a multi-day destination, given the size and scope of its collections.

Why go? From Chris Burden’s iconic entrance installation Urban Light, a piece made up of 200-plus cast-iron street lamps gathered from around L.A., to the Pavilion for Japanese Art (recently completing its major retrofit), a day at LACMA can include works spanning hundreds of years and thousands of miles. Highlights in the collection include Diego Rivera’s Portrait of Frida Kahlo, 17th-century artist Georges De La Tour’s The Magdalen With The Smoking Flame and Henri Matisse’s La Gerbe. Exhibitions at the Renzo Piano-designed Resnick Pavilion have included retrospectives by artists such as Alexander Calder, James Turrell and Tim Burton. 

Time Out tip: The David Geffen Galleries should open in April 2026, while its outdoor sculptures, dining and retail are now available this summer. Designed by architect Peter Zumthor, this $750 million new building will house the museum’s permanent collection.

Price: $28

What is it? It’s known for being the world's first major art museum dedicated solely to championing women through the arts and often purchases works by undervalued artists before they become well-known.

Why go? The National Museum of Women in the Arts (or NMWA for short) opened in 1987 and houses over 6,000 works spanning six continents and six centuries—some dating as far back as the 16th century—from over 1,000 artists. "Remix: The Collection" continues through October 2026 and includes themed collection galleries such as Photo Credit (which, you guessed it, showcases photography), Seeing Red (which showcases how different artists have used the color red) and Fiber Optics (which highlights the history of textile work), to name a few. A research center contains materials on, among others, Judy Chicago and Frida Kahlo.

Time Out tip: You’ll appreciate the irony of the museum’s overtaking a former Masonic Temple which has been recently renovated, originally a space which excluded women from its secretive rituals. Enjoy the impressive marble entrance and grand double staircase.

Price: $16.

What is it? An unusual collection spanning thousands of years, five continents and an array of mediums, housed in a lavish reconstruction of a 15th-century Venetian palace, complete with an exquisite interior courtyard.

Why go? As remarkable as its eccentric socialite founder, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was conceived by Gardner and her husband to house their growing collection amassed during their extensive travels. The museum opened in 1903, and every item in the 18,000-piece collection—which spans European, Asian, and Islamic art from classical times to the turn of the 20th century— is meticulously placed according to Gardner’s instructions without didactics/labels. The downside is the empty frames that once contained priceless paintings, stolen in 1990. The museum’s tragic history is documented as being perhaps the only one whose website includes a full page called ‘Theft’ in which $10 million is offered to recover the 13 stolen works. Among the many still-there highlights are John Singer Sargent’s El Jaleo in the Spanish Cloister and Titian’s The Rape of Europa, conserved in 2020. The 2012 New Wing, designed by museum maestro Renzo Piano and separated from the original building by a glass corridor, houses gallery space for special exhibitions and other facilities.

Time Out tip: If you’re intrigued by the idea of tracking down lost art, besides the $10 million above, there’s an additional reward of $100,000 earmarked for information leading to the return of the Napoleonic eagle finial by Antoine-Denis Chaudet.

Price: $22.

What is it? L.A.’s hilltop acropolis is a home for the contents of the J. Paul Getty Trust.

Why go? Architect Richard Meier started designing the museum in 1984, but it took 13 years, several additional designers (to work on the interior and landscaping), and a cool $1 billion to complete. The result is a remarkable complex of travertine and white metal-clad pavilions that resembles a monastic retreat with panoramic views that James Bond would dig. The Getty’s colorful, tranquil gardens are a highlight. The lobby is also a show-stopper, an airy, luminous rotunda that opens to a fountain-filled courtyard surrounded by six pavilions housing the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. You’ll view everything from medieval art to furnished rooms in the French decorative arts style to modern and contemporary works. Fun bonus: the visit starts with a light rail tram ride from the parking structure.

Time Out tip: If you have time, drive out to the Getty Villa a half-hour away to see Greek and Roman art in a re-created Roman seaside home. It had a beautiful reprieve from the Palisades Fire of January 2025, thanks to intelligent building design and brave staff who ventured outside to tackle hotspots. The fire came close enough to turn the beautiful pools black with soot.

Price: Free, but requires a timed-entry reservation. Parking is $25.

What is it? The Smithsonian’s spectacular, aggressively modern cylindrical building by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill was completed in 1974 to house the 20th-century painting and sculpture collection of self-made Wall Street millionaire Joseph Hirshhorn.

Why go? Today, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden presents all types of art, including paper works, painting, installation, photography, sculpture, digital and video art. The galleries on the third level are home to the permanent collection, including one of the largest public collections of works by Thomas Eakins in the world. There is also a significant Giacometti collection and a pair of Willem de Kooning’s rare “door paintings” (the museum, too, boasts one of the largest public arrays).

Time Out tip: Cross Jefferson Drive to visit the Sculpture Garden—currently temporarily closed for revitalization—featuring art by Rodin, Matisse, Koons and Calder.

Price: Free.

What is it? The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest museums in the United States, with 200 galleries containing some 240,000 objects from the first century A.D. to the modern era.

Why go? Its broad holdings include renowned American painting, sculpture and decorative arts collections, particularly 18th- and 19th-century American furniture and silver and Pennsylvania German art. What has made the PMA a mecca for generations of artists is the Louise and Walter Arensberg collection of Modernist masterworks—including a large collection of Marcel Duchamp’s works. The couple donated his original piece The Large Glass in 1950, also known as The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. In May 2021, 90,000 square feet were added to the landmark main building (which on its own contains 200 galleries), helmed by Frank Gehry. Currently, ongoing maintenance projects may mean that some galleries or artworks may be off view when you visit. It’s worth noting that the price of admission also gets you into the Rodin Museum, which PMA administers.

Time Out tip: Don’t miss the “Rocky steps” where Sylvester Stallone trained in the famous ’70s movie. After you’ve worked up an appetite, dine at the museum’s Stir restaurant, a Frank Gehry-designed space.

Price: $30.

What is it? The Cleveland Museum of Art is a longtime art anchor with more than 45,000 objects in its collections covering 6,000 years of art-making within 16 departments.

Why go? It’s one of the most wealthy and most visited art museums in the U.S.; its endowment means free admission. Renowned for its deep Asian and Egyptian holdings, it’s also strong on medieval art and boasts a growing collection of postwar masterpieces. Mid-century Modernist Marcel Breuer designed the North Wing, while an expansion designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Viñoly doubled the museum’s floor space to a staggering 592,000 square feet. The myriad treasures on view range from a copper and iron ancestral commemorative head (uhunmwun-elao) from mid-1500s-early 1600s Nigeria to Morning Glory with Black by Georgia O’Keeffe.

Time Out tip: Do some amateur ghost hunting! A few galleries are said to be haunted to the degree that some staff refuse to work in them.

Price: Free.

What is it? The Museum of Fine Arts’s globe-spanning collection encompasses nearly 500,000 objects across 100 galleries.

Why go? The collection of American art is impressive and includes Paul Revere’s silver Sons of Liberty Bowl and paintings by John Singleton Copley. The Egyptian collection—much of which was acquired through excavations in conjunction with Harvard University in the first half of the 20th century—is also fantastic. Additionally, the exceptional array of Japanese art is the largest collection of such work outside of Japan. Finally, there are the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including one of the largest collections of Monet’s work in the U.S. There are also seven galleries devoted to Dutch and Flemish art.

Time Out tip: Walk through the contemplative space of the Japanese Tenshin-en, the 'Garden of the Heart of Heaven.'

Price: $27.

What is it? The Museum of Contemporary Art houses one of the nation's largest collections of modern art.

Why go? The museum opened in 1967 as a kunsthalle, a non-collecting art gallery focused on novel and experimental work and education programs. Chicagoans fondly remember the incredible 1992 “Art at the Armory: Occupied Territory” exhibition held in the vacant armory building before its demolition to build today’s building designed by Berlin architect Josef Paul Kleihues. One claim to fame is that MCA hosted Jeff Koons’s first solo museum show. When you need a break from the extensive network of galleries, get some air in the picturesque sculpture garden, but don't forget to exit through the gift shop—the museum boasts one of Chicago's best selections of offbeat tchotchkes.

Time Out tip: There are serious bragging rights here: in 1969, the original building was the first U.S. one ever wrapped by Christo.

Price: $22.

What is it? The country’s largest and most inclusive museum dedicated to American art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum showcases work from the Colonial period until today.

Why go? The primary collection displays more than 7,000 artists, including famed portraitist John Singer Sargent, painter Mary Cassatt, multi-media innovator Nam June Paik and pieces by lesser-known artists. The museum’s vast jumble of classic works and more modern museum fare (like video games and VR apps) can be interpreted as a reflection of modern-day America. The separate Renwick Gallery, known as “The American Louvre,” –closed until August 22—showcases craft objects and decorative arts created in the past two centuries. Its 1858 building was the first in the U.S. organized as a public art museum. 

Time Out tip: Arrive either early in the day, or late in the day, to best avoid crowds.

Price: Free.

What is it? A building with unusual architecture and a permanent collection of artwork which features 2,000 works by over 200 artists, including Kara Walker, Cindy Sherman and Takashi Murakami. 

Why go? The building itself, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, is distinctive for its ‘veil and vault’ concept. The veil, designed by architect Liz Diller, is a honeycomb-like structure that provides filtered daylight for the galleries and wraps around the vault, which holds The Broad’s storage. Rather than hiding off-exhibit objects as most museums do, the Broad offers viewing windows into the vault so visitors can peer right in. Of course, given all of the iconic pieces and exhibits on view—including several works from Jean-Michel Basquiat—you’ll barely miss the pieces not on display.

Time Out tip: Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirrored Room—The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away (2013) is worth standing in line for. Previously a ticketed experience, now you can access it by walk-up entry.

Price: Free.

What is it? One of the five most visited contemporary art museums in the U.S., the Walker Art Center includes a 17-acre campus with multiple buildings. 

Why go? Founded in 1879 by lumber baron Thomas Barlow Walker, the museum's evolution has led to many well-known artists debuting here with their first major exhibition, such as Joseph Cornell, Frank Gehry and Kara Walker. Reflecting the museum’s commitment to art in all mediums, the Walker also offers an acclaimed performing arts program in the state-of-the-art McGuire Theater. 

Time Out tip: You’ll recognize (and love) the Instagrammable Spoonbridge and Cherry installation by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The garden is open until midnight, 365 days a year, with free entry.

Price: $18.

What is it? An architecturally dramatic building in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, holding some 27,000 paintings, sculptures, objects, crafts and textiles from Africa, Oceania and the Americas. 

Why go? The most prominent feature of this futuristic-primitive building is the massive perforated copper tower that emerges from the surrounding canopy of trees, making those who approach from the Ninth Avenue entrance to Golden Gate Park feel like they’ve stumbled across an abandoned mothership. The de Young’s impressive holdings include rotating exhibitions ranging from the Impressionists and Paul McCartney to Keith Haring. The de Young is one of the top 10 most visited U.S. art museums, and is near the exquisite Japanese Tea Garden. Bonus: the observation tower can be entered without paying admission and commands excellent views of the park.

Time Out tip: Access may be impacted from late July through mid-August due to annual events in Golden Gate Park, including Outside Lands and the San Francisco marathon.

Price: $20.

What is it? The National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson is the nation’s only museum dedicated solely to wildlife art, sited a mere two miles from the gateway of Grand Teton National Park.

Why go? This 51,000-square-foot institution in a cool stone building overlooks the National Elk Refuge and boasts an impressive collection of works from 550-plus artists such as Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keeffe and John James Audubon. Don’t miss the Carl Rungius Gallery, which features the largest public collection of work by the artist, known for being one of America’s top wildlife artists. Enjoy life-sized animal sculptures on the outdoor trail.

Time Out tip: Stop for lunch at the on-site Palate restaurant with stunning views of the National Elk Refuge. Its menu showcases everything from game stew to cowboy caviar, to bison gyros; the seasonally open patio is an added bonus, too.

Price: $18.

What is it? Set on a 30-acre campus with multiple buildings in a residential neighborhood, The Menil Collection exhibits the private collection gathered by John and Dominique de Menil.

Why go? The main building is one of Renzo Piano’s earliest and most serene museum buildings, opened in 1987. The museum’s holdings comprise approximately 17,000 pieces ranging from Byzantine icons to Surrealist paintings, including several by Magritte, and all follow the couple’s deep belief in the spiritual or transformational power of art. A number of bungalows in the area have also been painted ‘Menil gray’ with white trim and add to the campus look.

Time Out tip: Nearby but not part of the Menil Collection is the interfaith Rothko chapel, which contains a suite of 14 canvases by Latvian-American painter Mark Rothko. 

Price: Free.

What is it? A world-class institution housed in structures designed by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano.

Why go? The High’s first home was Mrs. Joseph M. High’s former mansion on Peachtree Street, donated by her in 1926. Since then, it’s grown into multiple buildings totaling over 300,000 square feet of space. The permanent collection of more than 19,000 works across seven themed collections is heavy in American 19th- and 20th-century fine and decorative arts. In addition to its growing contemporary art and photography holdings—including a peerless stash of Civil Rights era photographs—the High has assembled one of the most significant collections of American self-taught and vernacular art worldwide. The Rodin sculpture The Shade outside the Stent Family Wing was given to the museum by the French government in memory of 106 Atlantans who perished on a trip organized by the Women’s Committee of the Atlanta Art Association to tour European art capitals in 1962; at the time, it was history’s worst single-plane disaster. 

Time Out tip: The museum regularly rotates what’s on display, so you’ll never have the same visit twice.

Price: $25.

What is it? A collection of modern and contemporary art.

Why go? Duncan and Eliza Phillips, son and mother, started this mansion-turned-gallery in 1918 to overcome grief from the loss of Duncan’s father in 1917 and his brother in 1918 from the flu pandemic. Duncan and his brother had been gathering contemporary American paintings for two years with a $10,000 annual budget granted by their parents. Duncan married artist Marjorie Acker, in whose hands the directorship fell after his 1966 death. Subsequent extensions added airy galleries dedicated to contemporary art, an outdoor sculpture terrace and café, a library and archives, and spaces for education programs and community exhibitions. You’ll find a solid selection of works by Klee, Rothko, Lawrence and O’Keeffe.

Time Out tip: Don't leave without spending time with the museum’s signature painting, Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, which enjoys pride of place in the permanent collection galleries. 

Price: $20.

What is it? A pioneering collection of diverse works.

Why go? At the turn of the century, a white American chemist Albert C. Barnes collected and displayed French Impressionist paintings next to African masks and Native American jewelry, a believer in social justice and the idea that art, as well as people, should not be segregated. In 1927, he established a scholarship fund to support Black artists, writers and musicians and continued a lifelong commitment to racial equality. Today, the collections include works by Impressionist and Modernist masters—among them, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir, Picasso, Matisse and Rousseau—as well as Native American ceramics, Greek antiquities, Pennsylvania German furniture, African art and decorative ironwork. The works are grouped in ‘ensembles’ based on color, light or motif echoes rather than geography or era.

Time Out tip: In this unusual museum, there are no didactics (the posted information next to a work of art) and art is arranged by color or theme—to learn more about a specific piece, you can use the museum’s mobile gallery guide or take a guided tour.

Price: $30.

What is it? A museum holding work from antiquity to the modern day, altogether more than 32,000 objects of all mediums. 

Why go? The campus itself is architecturally interesting, consisting of the War Memorial Center by Eero Saarinen, a Brutalist addition by David Kahler and the Quadracci Pavilion by Santiago Calatrava. Inside the galleries,  highlights include German Renaissance master clocks, 20th-century Haitian art and works by the Ashcan School (who documented everyday life in New York’s poor neighborhoods), the turn-of-the-century American painters group called The Eight, and Georgia O’Keeffe. There are also folk and self-taught art collections, inspirational for those who want to create work but haven't been trained.

Time Out tip: Atop the Quadracci Pavilion, a Santiago Calatrava rooftop installation called Burke Brise Soleil has winglike structures that open when the museum opens, close and reopen at noon, and close when it shuts its doors for the night.

Price: $27.

What is it? With a holding of American art encompassing the Colonial era to the late 20th century, the Baltimore Museum of Art is notable for its long history of collecting works by African American artists. 

Why go? Following Baltimore’s Great Fire of 1904 and thanks to its revitalization plan, the museum was established in 1914 with a single donated painting. The BMA owns more than 95,000 objects spanning from today all the way back to ancient Egypt. Its Cone Collection was assembled in the early 20th century and donated to the museum by the adventurous Baltimore sisters Claribel and Dr. Etta Cone in 1949. The siblings visited the Paris studios of Matisse and Picasso, met Gertrude Stein and eventually amassed a collection of some 3,000 objects. 

Time Out tip: If you’re a Matisse lover, this place is a goldmine, holding the world's largest collection of works by Henri Matisse in a public institution. Yep, even more than France has! This includes 1,200 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints and illustrated books.

Price: Free.