The Art Museums You MUST Visit
As Homer Simpson once eloquently said, “More artsy, less fartsy.” We here at the Oracle echo his deeply held belief. Art can be elevating and deeply moving. But if you’re in a venue that makes you feel like a fish out of water, it’s not worth your time. Join us this week as we take you to the art museums you MUST visit. And we think you’ll like them, EVEN IF art isn’t your thing!
The Fogg Museum at Harvard – Cambridge, MA
On a chilly March day, we stopped at the Fogg museum for the first time. We wanted to find a way to pass some time indoors and had NO IDEA how amazing this place is. On their website, they note that they have Renoir, Van Gogh and Picasso. We had expected sketches and trial canvasses. What they have are gallery after gallery of master works. AND admission is free!
The Isabella Gardner Museum – Boston, MA
We first heard about the Gardner museum from the Netflix documentary, “This is a Robbery: The World’s Biggest Art Heist”. It was so interesting to us that they left the frames on display, devoid of the lifted pictures. But we really had NO IDEA how outstanding this museum would be. Part castle, part art gallery, the Gardner is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. And it doesn’t have that “too quiet” vibe that you often get with formal galleries.
The MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) – New York City, NY
The main reason we visited the MoMA in New York City was that Starry Night is on display there. Although this wasn’t the first time I’ve been able to see a Van Gogh, this was different. We could stand just inches from the canvas and see each heavy brush stroke. Besides this, the museum actually has a fair amount of impressionist like Monet and the GREAT pictures below. You may be surprised to find out that the Persistence of Memory by Dali is very small. I would say it’s not much bigger than a piece of paper. But it’s still VERY cool to see.
The Salvador Dali Museum – St. Petersburg, FL
And speaking of Dali…you should TOTALLY go to his museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. While the Persistence of Memory on display at the MoMA is small, not so the pieces here. In fact, several of his works take up an entire wall. It’s even worth going to the museum just to experience the building. It looks like something Dali drew and is filled with natural light. Besides this, St. Petersburg is very fun. There are great places to eat, fun places to shop and SO. MANY. BOATS!
The D.I.A. (Detroit Institute of Arts) – Detroit, MI
We HAD to include the Detroit Institute of Arts in this article. Of course, it is our home town museum, but more than that, the art here is AMAZING. We try to go every year to see the latest exhibits and to take in all our favorites.
The Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, IL
What if you had just one last free day in the semester? Ferris Bueller would say the Chicago Art Institute is worth spending at least some of that precious time. There are SO MANY things to see that you could never do it in just one day. Instead, I take first timers to all the famous works first and then let them wander. And just LOOK at what they have!
The Vatican – Vatican City, Italy
The Vatican Museum was nothing like I expected. I thought it would be full up with paintings and sculptures depicting the apostles and Christ. I had NO idea we would be treated to things like a statue of Bacchus. Every inch is filled with murals and art, including in the hallways between galleries.
After wandering for a couple of hours, we passed through a narrow doorway and entered the Sistine Chapel. Even though everything we saw to that point was absolute perfection, that ceiling is on another level all together. As I gaped at the way the painting looked like it was three dimensional, a man in front of us said, “Well this is underwhelming.” This has become a running joke in our family. Whenever anything is beautiful beyond description, we state that it’s underwhelming.
And of course…The Lourve – Paris, France
I know we didn’t HAVE to say it, but the Louvre really IS all that. Since there are 35,000 works on display on any given day, you have to go in with a plan. We had early entry so Ms Mona Lisa was our very first stop. Until that day, I never understood the hype. But there is just something about seeing her with your own eyes.
Another Golden Pelican Award
Thanks so much for joining us for a peek at the Art Museums you MUST visit. If you’re feeling more fartsy than artsy, we get it. Join us next time. We’ll visit best museums for other types of fun. What kind, you ask? How about giant dinosaurs, model-T cars, singing silver pods and photos of the mob’s greatest “hits”.
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