These are America's best art museums

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? 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 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? 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? It’s known for being the world's only 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) was founded back in 1981 and houses over 5,500 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 21, 2025 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? 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? 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 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? A sprawling American art museum hidden in the Ozarks, offering a comprehensive cultural experience.

Why go? Designed by architect Moshe Safdie, Crystal Bridges encompasses permanent exhibitions of American artworks spanning five centuries, educational programming and a 134-acre outdoor park featuring walking trails dotted with impressive outdoor installations by the likes of James Turrell and Yayoi Kusama. 

Time Out tip: On Thursday and Friday nights, the restaurant Eleven offers a seasonal five-course tasting menu by executive chef Timothy Ordway.

Price: Free.

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 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? 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.

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 a world-class institution housed in structures designed by Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, totaling over 300,000 square feet of space. The permanent collection of more than 18,000 works 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 122 Atlantans who died in a plane crash at Orly Field after touring European capitals.

Duncan and Eliza Phillips, son and mother, opened 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. The museum’s signature painting, Renoir’s Luncheon of the Boating Party, enjoys pride of place in the permanent collection galleries. You’ll also find a solid selection of works by Klee, Rothko, Lawrence and O’Keeffe.

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.

This fun museum has an installation on its rooftop called ‘Burke Brise Soleil’ with winglike structures that open when the museum opens, close and reopen at noon, and close when it shuts its doors for the night. The collections are diverse, with work from antiquity to the modern day and contain more than 32,000 objects of all mediums. Some 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.

Following Baltimore’s Great Fire of 1904 and thanks to its revitalization plan, the Baltimore Museum of Art 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. With a holding of American art encompassing the Colonial era to the late 20th century, the museum is notable for its long history of collecting works by African American artists. 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, including 600-plus works by Matisse—the largest array of the artist’s pieces in a public institution.

Founded in 1933, the Seattle Art Museum owns approximately 25,000 works spread over three separate facilities. In the main building in downtown Seattle, you’ll find the museum’s collections of ethnic, modern, and contemporary art. The cornerstone of the contemporary holdings is the Wright Collection of more than 200 works, documenting major art movements such as Abstract Expressionism, Pop, Minimalism and Light and Space. When you build up an appetite, visit the Seattle Market Fishmonger & Eatery now housed in the museum: grab a lobster roll, Dungeness crab or oysters with a beer. A 20-minute walk away is the museum’s nine-acre waterfront Olympic Sculpture Park with monumental contemporary sculptures by the likes of Calder and Serra. It also features spectacular views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound. To visit the museum’s renowned Seattle Asian Art Museum, you’ll have to hop in a vehicle or ride a bike; it’s more than two miles away in a 1933 Art Deco building that was SAM’s original home.

As remarkable as its eccentric socialite founder, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a lavish reconstruction of a 15th-century Venetian palace, complete with an exquisite interior courtyard. Conceived by Gardner and her husband to house their growing collection amassed during their extensive travels, the museum opened in 1903. Every item in the 16,000-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. 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 tab 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 and Titian’s The Rape of Europa. 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.

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 US museum collection, his Self-Portrait from 1887, acquired in 1922. With a diverse collection of 65,000 works–including the General Motors Center for African American Art curatorial department tasked with expanding the museum's collection of African American art, the DIA is in the top six of art museums in the nation.

Located in a converted 19th-century factory complex in a former mill town, MASS MoCA is one of the country's largest centers for contemporary visual art and the performing arts. As such, visitors can expect 250,000 square feet of exhibition space, 5,000 square feet of rehearsal space, a black box theater, and workshop and art fabrication facilities—along with a sandwich shop, brewhouse, cafe and retail shopping. The center focuses on presenting large-scale and complex installations that can’t be realized in more conventional exhibition spaces. An exhibition of more than 100 monumental-sized wall drawings and paintings conceived by Sol LeWitt will be on view through 2043 (yes, that year is correct: wall drawings ‘til we drop!).

Much of the work here is sited outdoors in Marfa’s desert landscape, making it one of the most unusual places in the world to view art. Established by minimalist artist Donald Judd in 1986, the Chinati Foundation is dedicated to permanent large-scale installations by a small number of artists. Located on 340 acres of land on the site of Fort D.A. Russell, it was initially conceived to display the work of Judd, John Chamberlain and Dan Flavin but has expanded to include sculptures and installations by many others, including Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. These are displayed in converted military buildings (each structure devoted to a single artist) and on the grounds. On your way out of town, check out the fake Prada store erected in 2005 by Elmgreen and Dragset, endlessly Instagrammed for its solitary boutique anchored on the desolate roadside.

While it is now the country’s largest showcase for Asian art, the older section of the Asian Art Museum once served as San Francisco’s main library at Civic Center. The 1917 structure was beautifully adapted by Gae Aulenti, the architect responsible for the Musée d’Orsay conversion in Paris, and retains remnants of its previous role, including bookish quotes etched into the fabric of the building. The institution holds one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Indonesian and Southeast Asian art, spanning 6,000 years of history with more than 18,000 objects. Artifacts range from Japanese Buddhas and Indonesian shadow puppets to sacred texts and porcelains from the Ming Dynasty.

Established in 2001, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation is a non-collecting institution. Its permanent collection contains only three works—one sculpture each by Richard Serra, Ellsworth Kelly and Scott Burton. Instead, the museum hosts an impressive array of temporary exhibitions. Past exhibitions have featured art from around the world, including ‘Ruth Asawa: Life’s Work.’ The impeccable minimalist building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando is one of the loveliest places in the country to look at art. The foundation also offers participatory programming for visitors.

This museum is housed in three buildings that seem to be artwork in themselves, such as the reflective glass-tiled Martin Building designed by Italian architect Gio Ponti (his only U.S. build) and architect Daniel Libeskind’s Hamilton Building, which resembles the mountainous peaks around Denver and its rock crystals. Plenty of public art is scattered around the 70,000 square-foot campuses, such as the beloved 35-foot-tall broom and dustpan installation called Big Sweep by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, so you don’t even have to enter to enjoy a visit. Yet inside is a massive collection of African art, architecture and design, Indigenous arts of North America, Asian art, modern and contemporary art, photography, and Western American art that's worth exploring.

The museum’s People’s Collection actually belongs to the residents of North Carolina, thanks to the state’s 1947 decision to set aside $1 million to start purchasing art: the first state in history to do so. And the beneficence continues: the museum is free. Surrounded by a 164-acre park (with artwork and trails galore), the museum’s initial acquisition of 185 pieces has grown into an impressive collection that spans over 5,000 years and includes everything from ancient Egyptian artifacts to 14th-century Italian paintings and 21st-century works. Of particular note is the Rodin collection, containing 30 sculptures beautifully installed in the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Court and Garden, as well as a celebrated collection of European paintings from the Renaissance through Impressionism. Additionally, NCMA hosts one of only two permanent displays of Jewish ceremonial art in an American art museum.

One of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States, The Brooklyn Museum’s history began with the 1823 Brooklyn Apprentices’ Library, with Walt Whitman as one of the first librarians. The library-turned-institution offered early exhibitions of painting and sculpture. (However, the massive structure that we know today was built between 1893 and 1927, opening in 1897.) The expansive collection seeks to display artistic traditions found across the globe, including work from Egypt, Europe, the Pacific Islands, the Americas and Africa. The museum began collecting African art in 1900 and was the first U.S. museum to display African objects as works of art in a 1923 exhibition. The Brooklyn Museum also initiated the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, an exhibition space and education center dedicated to showcasing feminist art, including Judy Chicago’s monumental installation The Dinner Party.

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Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art opened its doors in 1933, with lines to enter stretching down the street. Not only does the original building–featuring beautiful Beaux-Arts architecture—remain intact, but you’ll also find the striking Bloch Building, which was compared to a Walmart and which museum officials even said looked like a 67-story skyscraper resting on its side (but at night, it does glow luminously!) Altogether, this sprawling museum is home to over 40,000 objects, including an impressive collection of Asian art and works dating back 4,000 years to ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. In the 22-acre Donald J. Hall Sculpture Garden, you’ll find Robert Morris’s Glass Labyrinth and four giant shuttlecocks helmed by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coojse van Bruggen—selfies are strongly encouraged. Oh, and did we mention the museum offers free admission?

The SMoCA is all about architecture, design and—of course—contemporary art. A permanent installation worth lingering in is James Turrell’s Knight Rise, one of only 14 U.S. skyspaces open to the public. Housed in a former movie theater and now a Minimalist built by architect Will Bruder, the museum’s four galleries follow the footprint of the movie screening areas with ample space for large-scale installations. There’s also an outdoor sculpture garden.

Always showing thrilling and provocative art, this museum's permanent collection has four themed areas: Altered Landscape Photography, Art of the Greater West, Contemporary Art, and the (interestingly named) Work Ethic, which focuses on imagery of people...working. The museum dates to 1931 when a small group of landscape painters ran it, and today’s impressive four-story building by architect Will Bruder harks to the love of landforms, as it is intended to evoke the geology of the Black Rock Desert. 

This institution is half art museum, half history museum, but the part that is focused on art is worthy of its own structure. The standout of the permanent collection is the work of J.C. Leyendecker, an early 21st-century illustrator popular for Saturday Evening Post covers and advertisements for Arrow Collar and Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. There are also 12 paintings by early American artist Albert Bierstadt, including a Yosemite Valley landscape once on loan to the White House, as well as several works by painter Rosa Bonheur, given new fame by her mention in The Queen’s Gambit. In the historical area, objects focus on Native American and early Gold Rush history, agriculture, shipbuilding and firefighting. Bonus haunted artifact? The blood-stained trunk of Emma LeDoux, who murdered her husband and stashed him in it.

Half of this museum is an 1872 National Register mansion with grand foyers and staircases, filled with European art from the globetrotting and railroad-financing Crocker family, while the other half is a thoroughly-modern pavilion that doubles the gallery space and focuses on contemporary and antique art. A large Chihuly Golden Teal Chandelier graces the entry, while the museum has a close association with Wayne Thiebaud, who lived nearby and occasionally tinkered with paintings in situ until his 2021 death (fortunately, he had already visited the Crocker’s exhibition "Wayne Thiebaud: 100’ on the occasion of his 100th birthday in 2020)." The Crocker’s is also known for its stellar collection of work by Californians from the Gold Rush to today, one of the largest international ceramics collections in the U.S. and its collections of Asian, African and Oceanic art.

This art museum (the largest in the state) contains 10,000 works in all media, focusing on American and contemporary art. It’s always free, housed on the campus of this liberal arts college about an hour from Portland. It's well worth the visit if only to see the 900-work collection of artist Alex Katz, a figurative artist known for his large-scale flat figurative portraits of people. This collection began with Katz’s 1992 donation of more than 400 of his works and has grown exponentially since then. This museum is one of very few in the U.S. with an entire wing devoted to the work of a single living artist, the Paul J. Schupf Wing. Additionally, there’s a strong folk art collection and site-specific works by Richard Serra and Sol LeWitt.

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Founded in 1996, this cool outdoor art museum sits on 50 acres in the St. Croix River Valley. Walk around and see diverse, experimental sculptures on cultivated prairie grassland where deciduous and coniferous forests meet. The sculpture park hopes to be a “national model for how a contemporary outdoor art museum can engage and collaborate with the community” by creating a dialogue between artists and audiences and by supporting artists in the production of new work, including through an artist’s residency program. There’s also an indoor Mardag Gallery with rotating exhibitions, and educational programming open to the public happens typically on a weekly basis.

Begun in part as a cabinet of curiosities, this facility—which combined two separate museums, the Peabody and the Essex, in 1992—has grown to embrace a strong connection to the arts. It holds more than 840,000 works of art and culture covering maritime art; American, Asian, Oceanic and African art; two large libraries of books and documents; and even 22 historic buildings, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese building brought to Salem to be reerected. It’s the oldest continuously operating and collecting museum in the United States, and given its siting, it, of course, holds an invaluable collection of materials related to the city’s infamous witch trials.