Whether one is an avid art-lover or just a casual art admirer, one can spend hours and hours in an art gallery. Art just has this draw for every person. Though some countries like France and Netherlands have a big art scene, the following list contains only one museum per country.
Any discussion of the best art museums has to start with the Louvre. The most visited museum in the world and also the most famous.
The museum houses everything from Egyptian antiquities to sculptures and paintings made by French and other European masters. It may be most famous though for housing the Mona Lisa.
All of the artist's great work is here including his self portraits as well as his work from all the places he visited in his life.
The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands is obviously dedicated to the work of the famous master who cut off his ear.
The second largest art museum in the world after the Louvre is the Hermitage museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Housing over three million artifacts (though not all of them are on permanent display), the museum has works from Western European and Russian masters, prehistoric art and much more.
The Vatican Museums hold a large collection of Catholic art and sculptures. Among the most famous spots here are the Sistine Chapel and the Stanze di Raffaello.
The National Gallery is located in London, England. It hosts an impressive collection of artworks from artists ranging from Michaelangelo to Da Vinci to Monet.
Museo del Prado, located in Madrid, Spain is the premier art museum of Spain. It hosts the largest collection of Spanish artwork ranging from the 12th Century to 20th Century. The masters here include the likes of Francisco Goya and Diego Velázquez.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (commonly known as the Met) is located in New York. The museum not only has an extensive collection of art from European masters but also artworks from Asia and Africa. Other than this, they also host collections of musical instruments from around the globe.
The National Art Center in Tokyo, Japan is unique in a way, that it doesn't actually have a permanent collection. Instead, it has temporary exhibitions. However, these exhibitions are very popular and are one of the most visited in the world.
Shanghai Museum doesn't only house great works of Chinese art but it also has many valuable artifacts relating to Chinese history.
Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil has branches in Sau Paulo and Brasilia but its main center is Rio de Janeiro. One of the most visited exhibitions outside of Europe, the building also houses a theater and a cinema.