I am passionate about museums and
galleries. I can spend an entire day contemplating art. I became interested in art when I was in
college, but where I came from I could only see masterpieces by famous
artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Cezanne and Picasso in pictures or read about
them in books. When I moved to Los Angeles my husband
brought me to The Getty Museum and that’s when my love for art grew stronger.
Here’s a picture of me at The Getty during our most recent visit.
Since cupid hit me at The Getty, I have
visited world-class museums and galleries – and have seen the world’s greatest
paintings and sculptures…Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, Vincent
van Gogh’s Irises, Michelangelo’s Pieta, David, The
Creation of Adam and The Last Judgment, Sandro Botticelli Birth of Venus…among
others.
These are the museums that my husband and I have visited so
far (listed in order visited)...
J. Paul Getty Museum
(Los Angeles, USA)
Getty contains a collection of Western art from the Middle
Ages to the present. Collection
highlights include Van Gogh’s Irises, Renoir’s La Promenade, Monet’s Sunrise
and Rembrandt’s Abduction of Europa.
Victoria and Albert
Museum (London, United Kingdom)
With over 4.5 million objects in its 145 galleries, Victoria
and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design.
The Fusilier Museum
(London, United Kingdom)
The museum houses a collection commemorating over three
hundred years of the of the Lancashire Fusiliers regiment's history.
Roman Baths
(Bath, United Kingdom)
An extraordinary archaeological site and museum built around
Britain's only hot spring.
Musée du Louvre (Paris, France)
The Louvre, one of the largest museums in the world and the
most visited, is home to nearly 35,000 impressive objects from prehistory to
the 21st century. The museum holds Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa,
ancient Greek statues Aphrodite of Milos/Venus
de Milo and Winged Victory of
Samothrace.
Palace of Versailles
(Versailles, France)
Palace of Versailles was turned into a museum of French history in 1833. It is the
finest museum of classic French Art. Highlights include Marie Antoinette's room and the Hall of Mirrors.
St. Peter's Basilica
(Vatican)
Arguably the world's most famous sculpture of a religious
subject, Michelangelo’s Pieta is housed at St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Vatican Museums
and Sistine Chapel (Vatican)
The Vatican Museums are most famous for the Raphael Rooms (entire rooms painted by
Raphael) and Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam
and The Last Judgment painted on the
altar wall and ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
Palatine Hill and The
Roman Forum (Rome, Italy)
A large open-air museum, the Palatine Hill is one of the
most ancient parts of Rome. People have
lived there since approximately 1000 BC. It was for centuries the center of
Roman public life, the site of triumphal processions, elections and public speeches.
Los Angeles County
Museum of Art (Los Angeles, USA)
LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States. Collection
highlights include Cezanne's Still Life with Cherries and
Peaches, Monet’s Nympheas and
Rembrandt’s The Raising of Lazarus.
LACMA has also exhibited the fabled treasures of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Österreichische
Galerie Belvedere (Vienna, Austria)
Is an art museum housed in the Belvedere
Palace. The museum holds a collection of
masterpieces from the Middle Ages and Baroque up to the 21st century
Contemporary Art. Well-known artists with
pieces on display include Van Gogh, Klimt and Schiele.
Schönbrunn
Palace (Vienna, Austria)
The 1,441-room summer residence of the Imperial
Habsburg is one of the finest examples of Baroque and Rococo architecture.
The Uffizi Gallery (Florence,
Italy)
The Uffizi holds the world’s finest collection of
Renaissance paintings. The best known works on display are Botticelli’s
The Birth of Venus, Giotto’s Ognissanti's
Madonna, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Annunciation and Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch.
Galleria
dell'Accademia (Florence, Italy)
The Galleria dell'Accademia houses Michelangelo's David, one of the most famous sculptures
in the world.
Duomo
of Siena (Siena, Italy)
The Duomo holds precious frescos, sculptures, stained glass
designs and marble masterpieces.
The Ruins of Pompeii
(Pompeii, Italy)
A huge open-air museum where casts made from human remains
show real people caught and buried in volcanic debris as they fled from
erupting Mt. Vesuvius with their most prized possessions.
Museu Nacional d'Art
de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain)
This museum houses an impressive collection of Romanesque
church paintings.
Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam,
Netherlands)
The
Rijksmuseum holds the largest collection of Dutch art and history from
the 12th century to present. Rijksmuseum is home to paintings of great
masters such as Rembrant, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Jan Steen.
Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam,
Netherlands)
The Van Gogh Museum houses the largest collection of Van
Gogh's paintings and drawings
Anne Frank Museum
(Amsterdam, Netherlands)
A museum dedicated to Jewish wartime diarist Anne Frank who
hid from Nazi persecution.
Basilica of the Holy
Blood (Bruges, Belgium)
This church houses a venerated relic of the Holy Blood of Jesus.
Sisi Museum
(Vienna, Austria)
The Sisi Museum houses numerous personal items that once
belonged to Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
The Imperial Apartments
and Silver Collection (Vienna, Austria)
The Hofburg Palace occupied by Emperor
Franz Joseph and his wife Empress Elisabeth are furnished and decorated to the highest
standards. The Imperial Silver Collection is an impressive collection of porcelain, glassware, silverware, table lines and cooking utensils necessary for running the imperial household.
Museo del Cenacolo
Vinciano (Milan, Italy)
The museum that holds Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper painted on the wall of
Santa Maria della Grazie. To
preserve the painting, only 25 people are allowed to enter at one time
for a period of 15 minutes and everyone must pass through a series of
devices that remove
clothing pollutants.
The Museo Teatrale
alla Scala (Milan, Italy)
This world-renowned opera house contains a collection of
paintings, statues and costumes regarding opera history and La Scala.
Castello Sforzesco
(Milan, Italy)
A castle that houses a number of other museums which include
Museum of Ancient Art which holds Michaelangelo's last sculpture Rondanini Pieta, Museum of Musical
Instruments and the Archeological Museum.
Swarovski Crystal
Worlds (Wattens, Austria)
This unique crystalline museum showcases the world’s biggest
crystal weighing 137 pounds.
