Welcome to

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Welcome to Museums from Around the World
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African Museums
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Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum by Jackie
Bonner Established 1956, Renamed 2002 The
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, formerly
the King George VI Art Gallery, is located in
Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The museums
collections are housed in two buildings framing
the entrance to St George's Park and consist of
South African art (particularly that of the
Eastern Cape), British art, international
printmaking and Oriental art (including Indian
miniatures and Chinese textiles). Limited
exhibition space requires the constant rotation
of works of art from their Permanent Collection,
and researchers wishing to see specific works not
currently on exhibition are advised to do so by
appointment.
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The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities by Will
Bigham Established 1835 The Museum of Egyptian
Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian
Museum, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to the most
extensive collection of ancient Egyptian
antiquities in the world. It has 120,000 items,
with a representative amount on display, the
remainder in storerooms. The Egyptian Museum of
Antiquities contains many important pieces of
history. Not only does it house the worlds
largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities, it
also houses the many treasures of King
Tutankhamen, and many interesting statues that
moved with the museums many relocations. There
are two main floors of the museum, the ground
floor and the first floor. On the ground floor
visitors will find an extensive collection of
papyrus and coins used in the Ancient world.
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National Museum of Tanzania by Francisco
Gutierrez Established 1940 The National Museum
of Tanzania is a scientific educational and
cultural institution charged with the duties of
collecting, conserving, displaying, and
researching on all materials relating to
Tanzanians cultural and natural heritage. The
history of the National Museum of Tanzania dates
back to the year 1934 when the Governor of
Tanganyika Territory Sir Harold Mac Michael
conceived the idea of a Museum for Dar es Salaam.
Displayed in the History gallery are historical
objects collected from various localities in
Tanzania. They include pottery, Chinese
porcelains, coins and beads excavated from Kilwa
(World Heritage Site) a famous coastal town.
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Nairobi National Museum by Michael
Chandler Established 1910 Nairobi National
Museum is located at the Museum Hill. It is the
flagship museum of NMK, housing some of the most
celebrated collections of history, culture and
art from Kenya and East Africa. The museum aims
to interpret heritage of Kenya to stimulate
appreciation and learning. The Museum was
initiated by the East Africa and Uganda Natural
History Society. The group consisted mainly of
colonial settlers and naturalists who needed a
place to keep and preserve their collections of
various specimens. Its first site was at the
present Nyayo House in the Nairobi city centre. A
larger building was put up in 1922 where the
Nairobi Serena Hotel now stands.
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Asian Australian Museums
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Tokyo National Museum by Sydney
Hendricks-Tricks Established 1872 The Tokyo
National Museum or TNM, is the oldest and largest
museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and
preserves a comprehensive collection of art works
and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on
Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects,
which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure
holdings and 610 Important Cultural Property
holdings. The museum also conducts research and
organizes educational events related to its
collection. There are outdoor exhibitions and a
garden where visitors can enjoy seasonal views.
The museum's collections focus on ancient
Japanese art and Asian art along the Silk Road.
There is also a large collection of
Greco-Buddhist art. All information is provided
in Japanese, Chinese, English, French, German,
Korean, and Spanish.
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National Museum, New Delhi by Veronica
Chandler Established 1983 The National Museum
in New Delhi is the largest museum in India. It
holds variety of articles ranging from
pre-historic era to modern works of art. It is
run by the Ministry of Culture, part of the
Government of India. The museum has in its
possession over 200,000 works of art, of both
Indian and foreign origin, covering more than
5,000 years of Indian cultural heritage. Its rich
holdings of various creative traditions and
disciplines which represents a unity amidst
diversity, an unmatched blend of the past with
the present and strong perspective for the
future, brings history to life. The collections
cover archaeology, armour, decorative arts,
jewelry, manuscripts, and paintings.
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Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, Australia
by Francisco Gutierrez Established current
location 1991 The Museum of Contemporary Art
(the MCA) in Sydney, Australia is dedicated
solely to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting
contemporary art, both from across Australia and
around the world. Housed in the Art Deco-style
former Maritime Services Board Building on the
eastern edge of Circular Quay. It is one of the
youngest of the chief cultural venues in
Australia's largest city. The MCA was established
to fulfill the museum aspect of the vision of
Australian expatriate artist John Power
(18811943), who bequeathed his personal fortune
to the University of Sydney to inform and educate
Australians in the contemporary visual arts.
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Hong Kong Museum of Art by Claudia
Gutierrez Established 1962 The Hong Kong Museum
of Art is a museum for Chinese cultural heritage,
and local and international art in Hong Kong. In
1991, it was moved to the present location near
the Hong Kong Cultural Center and the Hong Kong
Space Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui. A branch museum,
the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, is
situated in the Hong Kong Park. The museum
changes its displays regularly. The exhibitions
in the museum are mainly of paintings,
calligraphy and sculpture from Hong Kong, China
and other parts of the world.
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European Museums
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Louvre, Paris by Paola
Espinal Established 1793 The Louvre Museum
located in Paris, is the world's most visited art
museum, a historic monument, and a national
museum of France. It is a central landmark,
located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st
arrondissement (neighbourhood). Objects from the
6th millennium BCE to the 19th century CE are
exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres
dedicated to the permanent collection. The Musée
du Louvre contains more than 380,000 objects and
displays 35,000 works of art in eight curatorial
departments. The Louvre exhibits sculptures,
objets d'art, paintings, drawings, and
archaeological finds. It is the world's most
visited museum, averaging 15,000 visitors per
day, 65 percent of whom are foreigners.
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The Tate, London by Sydney Hendricks-Tricks Estab
lished 1897 The Tate is the United Kingdoms
national museum of British and Modern Art, and is
a network of four art galleries in England. It
was founded in 1897 as the National Gallery of
British Art. When its role was changed to include
Modern Art it was renamed the Tate Gallery after
Henry Tate, who had laid the foundations for the
collection. The Tate Galleries display the
collections of British art from 1500 to the
present day International Modern and
Contemporary Art from 1900 to the present day,
and Contemporary Art by artists who have
connections with the area. All four museums share
the Tate Collection. One of the Tate's most
publicised art events is the annual Turner Prize.
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Acropolis Museum, Athens by Veronica
Chandler Established 1865 The Acropolis Museum
is an archaeological museum located in Athens,
Greece on the archeological site of Acropolis. It
is considered one of the major archaeological
museums in Athens and ranks among the most
important museums of the world. Due to its
limited size, a New Acropolis Museum is now being
built at the base of the Acropolis and is
expected to open early 2009. In June 2007 the old
museum closed its doors so that its antiquities
could be moved to their new home. The museum is
home to many of the Greek world's ancient relics,
stone sculptures and bronze remains found in and
around the Acropolis site since excavations
started.
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The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow
by DeShawn Smith Established
1912 The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts in Moscow
is the largest museum of European art. Although
it has the name Pushkin, the museum actually has
nothing to do with the well-known Russian poet.
In 1918 the Russian capital was moved to Moscow
and with it the government decided to transfer
thousands of works from the Hermitage Museum in
St. Petersburg. It was these works that formed
the basis of the collection of Western Art at the
Pushkin museum. Later the State Museum of New
Western Art added an important assortment of
Impressionist and Post-impressionist artworks.
This assortment was made up of the well-known art
works of Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso.
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Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam by Michael
Chandler Established 1800 The Rijksmuseum
Amsterdam (English State Museum) is a Dutch
national museum in Amsertdam. The museum is
dedicated to arts, crafts, and history. It has a
large collection of paintings from the Dutch
Golden Age and a substantial collection of Asian
art. The front of the museum is located at the
Stadhouderskade, but on the other side it has a
prominent position on the Museumplein, nowadays
among the Van Gogh Museum, the Stedelijk Museum
Amsterdam, and the Concertgebouw. In 1890 a
fragment building was added to the Rijksmuseum.
This building was made out of fragments of
demolished buildings that together give an
overview of the Dutch history of architecture.
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North American Museums
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Carnegie Museum of Art Pittsburgh by Sam
Bigham Established 1895 The Carnegie Museum of
Art was, arguably, the first museum of modern art
in the U.S. Numerous significant works have been
acquired for museum's permanent collection
including Winslow Homer's The Wreck and James A.
McNeill Whistler's Arrangement in Black Portrait
of Señor Pablo de Sarasate. The marble Hall of
Sculpture replicates the interior of the
Parthenon. The Hall of Architecture contains the
largest collection of plaster casts of
architectural masterpieces in the world. The
museum's permanent collection includes European
and American decorative arts from the late
seventeenth century to the present, works on
paper, paintings, prints (notably Japanese
prints), sculptures and installations.
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Getty Center, Los Angeles by Will Bigham Opened
1997, museum established 1954 The Getty Center in
Brentwood, Los Angeles, is the current home of
part of the J. Paul Getty Museum. The museum's
permanent collection includes "pre-20th-century
European paintings, drawings, illuminated
manuscripts, sculpture, decorative arts and 19th
and 20th-century American and European
photographs". Among the works on display is the
painting Irises by Vincent van Gogh. The Center,
which opened on December 16, 1997, is also
well-known for its architecture, gardens, and
view (overlooking Los Angeles). Besides the
Museum, the Center's buildings house the Getty
Research Institute, the Getty Conservation
Institute, the Getty Foundation, and the J. Paul
Getty Trust which owns and operates the Center.
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Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City, Mexico by Paola
Espinal Established 1958 The Frida Kahlo Museum
is a beautiful place where you can see all the
artwork that she created. This museum is found in
Coyoacan, a suburb of Mexico City, Mexico. There
is a special atmosphere in this place, the house
where Frida Kahlo was born. The Blue House holds
the paintings that made Frida famous The Two
Fridas, Viva la Vida, an the easel given to her
as a gift by Nelson Rockefeller, as well as the
paint brushes she used and a collection of
butterflies. Exhibited in the Blue House is a
small part of Diego Riveras collection of
pre-Hispanic art. The Blue House receives more
than 200,000 visitors annually.
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Solomon R. Guggenheim New York, New York Museum
by Jackie Bonner Established 1959 The Solomon
R. Guggenheim Museum is one of the best-known
museums in New York City and one of the 20th
century's most important architectural landmarks.
Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the museumwhich
is often called simply The Guggenheimis home to
a renowned permanent collection of Impressionist,
Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and
contemporary art, and also features special
exhibitions throughout the year. The building has
become a cultural icon, can be seen widely
throughout popular culture, and features
prominently in many films.
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Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington DC by
Gabriel Argimon Established 1829 The
Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington,
D.C. has an extensive collection covering all
regions and art movements found in the United
States. Among the significant artists represented
are Nam June Paik, Jenny Holzer, David Hockney,
Georgia O'Keeffe, John Singer Sargent, and
Winslow Homer. The Luce Foundation Center for
American Art features paintings, sculptures,
crafts, folk art objects, miniatures and medals.
Large-scale sculptures are installed on the first
floor. Interactive computer kiosks provide
information about every object on display,
including a discussion of each artwork, artist
biographies, audio interviews, video clips and
still images.
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South American Museums
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Museo Larco, Lima Peru by Sam Bigham Established
1926 The Museo Larco is housed in an 18th century
vice-royal mansion built over a 7th century
pre-Columbian pyramid. It showcases chronological
galleries that provide a thorough overview of
4,000 years of Peruvian pre-Columbian history. It
boasts one of the world's largest collections of
pre-Columbian art including Moche, Nazca, Chimú,
and Inca pieces. It was one of the first museums
in the world to put its entire 45,000 piece
collection in an electronic catalog. Its Gold and
Silver Gallery showcases the biggest and finest,
pre-Columbian ancient jewelry collections,
comprised of crowns, earrings, nose ornaments,
garments, masks, and vases.
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El Museo de Arte Costarricense by DeShawn
Smith Established 1977 The Costa Rica Museum
of Art is responsible for the promotion and
conservation the arts and the Costa Rican
literature. Its permanent exhibition includes
important works of Costa Rican sculpting. It is
the principal institution of the Costa Rican
sculpture. In 1984, the curator Luis Lizard
initiated a contemporary art program with an
international collection of 560 works of art. The
opening of National Gallery of Contemporary Art
complemented the project with a program of annual
expositions that opened the local panorama to the
production of artists of great prestige like
Richard Be, Richard Hambleton, Eve Sonneman,
Sandro Chia, Kazuya Sakai, among others.
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Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales Uruguay by
Claudia Gutierrez Established 1911 The Museo
Nacional de Artes Visuales is the most important
museum in Uruguay and contains 6000 works from
prominent collections that complement the
activity of the museum, temporary expositions of
national and foreign artists. Some of the
foreign artists whose works were exhibited in the
National Museum of Visual Arts are Paul Klee,
August Rodin, Alexander Calder, Pablo Picasso,
Marc Chagall, Henry Moore, Francisco Goya, Diego
Rivera, José Luis Caves, Jesus Rafael Thicket,
Fernando Botero, Santiago Calatrava, and many
more.
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São Paulo Museum of Art by Gabriel
Argimon Established 1947 The São Paulo Museum
of Art (in Portuguese, Museu de Arte de São
Paulo, or MASP) is an important fine-art museum
located on Paulista Avenue in the city of São
Paulo, in Brazil. Famous for an imposing building
which houses its collections, it is an authentic
landmark of the largest Brazilian city. The
museum is renowned for its extraordinary
collection gathered since the end of World War
II. Internationally recognized for its diversity
and quality, the museum's holdings are considered
the most important of Latin America and all
Southern Hemisphere, with thousands of works
ranging in period from antiquity to contemporary
art.