Your favourite museum may well be yournearest. Familiarity can breed a sense offriendship that leads to deep love. TheTimeshas invitedanexpert teamofculturelovers to nominate their 50 greatestgalleries.Nextweek, it’s50 topmuseums.The distinction between amuseum anda gallery is blurry. But, for the purposes ofthese lists, a gallery is considered to be aplace where artworks alone are displayed;while museums house a wider variety ofobjects that relate to our past and the waywe livenow.So, this summer holiday, when you startto tire of poolside indolence, take theopportunity to see some of the world’smost impressive, spectacular, insightfuland forward-looking repositories of cul-ture.Museumsandgalleriesarenot just forart-world insiders.Theyare forusall.RachelCampbell-Johnston

1UffiziGallery,Florence

Thewordmasterpiececanbebandiedabout tooeasily in Italybut theUffizi ispackedwith them. Itwashere that theMedici familydisplayed itsmagnificentcollections.Thegallery’s architect,GiorgioVasari, said itwashere that thegreatest artistsof theItalianRenaissancewouldgather “forbeauty, forworkand forrecreation”.Nowtheir cultural splendoursadornthecourtyardsandwallswithahostof treasures fromtheserenebeautiesofanearliermedievalera to theexuberantdramasof thehighBaroque.Don’tmissTheBirthofVenusbyBotticelli

2PradoMuseum,Madrid

TheSpanishroyal familywereavidbutdiscriminatingpatronsofart.Now, thecollections theyamassedovercenturiesformthepassionateheartof thePrado, thecountry’sprincipalartmuseum.Behindthe imposingNeoclassical façade lies thehomeofnational stars suchasGoya,VelázquezandZurbarán.Here iswhatunquestionablycountsas the finest singlecollectionofSpanishart.Thegallery,withits recentlyextendeddisplay space,alsoincludes themostmovingFlemishmasterpiecesandseveralmarvelsof theItalianHighRenaissance.Don’tmissLasMeninasbyVelázquez

3TheStateHermitageMuseum,

StPetersburgRussiacanfeel like it’s a trek fromthemoreconventionalart centresofRome,ParisandLondon,but theHermitage’s

collectionofmore thanthreemillionobjectsmust surelycountamong themostspectacular in theworld. Itsmarvels spancivilisation fromtheearliestStoneAgetotheModernperiod. Itshighpoint is the 100roomsandmoredevotedto thegloriesofwestEuropeanart, fromunknownmedievalmasters throughRembrandtandRubens toTitian,CézanneandPicasso.Don’tmissTheHermitageRembrandts

4TheMuseumofModernArt (MoMA),

NewYorkMoMAhassomanymust-seemasterpieces that it ishardtoknowwheretostart, but if youheadstraight for thefourthand fifth floorsof this recentlyrevampedbuilding, the storyofModernism, from1880to1980,will unfurl.

Asyoutravel througha labyrinthofinterlinkedrooms, connectionsandreferencesandallusionsemerge.Picassotalks toMatissebutalso toMondrian.HeglancesacrossatMaxBeckmannwhochatswithDiegoRiverawhile lookingoverhis shoulder to catchPissarro’s eye.It’s abit likebeing invited toacocktailparty inwhichthehistoryofModernismisbeingdiscussedbyall itsmainplayers.Don’tmissTheDancebyMatisse

5KunstmuseumBasel,Switzerland

Myfavourite...bySimondePuryIn 1661, thecityofBaselacquired theAmerbachCabinet,whichwas thebeginningof theoldestpublicmunicipalmuseumintheworld.Beinganativeof thecityIowe itmyfirst exposure toandpassionforart.Don’tmissThe20th-centuryholdingsofworksbyPicasso,BraqueandGris

6TheMetropolitanMuseumofArt,

NewYorkThereareworldsof artwithin thesewalls.FromJacksonPollock’sAutumnRhythm(Number30) toCaravaggio’sTheMusicians; fromtheTempleofDendur,brought in its entirety fromthebanksoftheNile, toasuitof armourwornbyHenryVIII, its curlingetchingdesignedbyHansHolbeinhimself.NewYork’sMetropolitanMuseumofArt—foundedayearafter theendof theAmericanCivilWar—is thejewel in thecity’sartisticcrown.

Don’tmissThesevenUnicornTapestries, someof the finestexamplesofmedievalart, in theCloisters

7KunsthistorischesMuseum,Vienna

Thispalatialmuseum,whichstandson theRing, thegrandboulevard thatencirclesVienna, ishometo thegreatart collectionof theHabsburgs, thedynasty that ruledtheHolyRomanEmpire from1452 to 1740.Their reign includedtheyearsof theEuropeanRenaissanceandsuccessiveemperorsamassedworksbyall theoutstandingEuropeanartists.TherearepaintingsbyTitian,Rubens,Rembrandt,VelázquezandVermeer,andobjetsd’art,including the famousgoldsalt cellarbyBenvenutoCellini.Don’tmissTheHuntsmenin theSnow,asuperbwintrysceneby theFlemishpainterPieterBruegel theElder

8TheLouvre,ParisIt’s abit like riffling throughanart-historybookbut finding that

the illustrationsareall theoriginalpieces.TheLouvre, its landmarkbuildinganhistoricmonument in itsownright, is thehomeofdozensof themost celebratedimages in theworld.Hereyoucan findanything fromVenusdeMilo toMonaLisa.Youcouldget lost inside the labyrinthofgalleriesandyears later still be findingstuffyouhadn’t seen.Don’tmissMonaLisa

9TheNationalGallery,London

In its enthusiasmforblockbusterexhibitions, theBritishpublic can

sometimesoverlookthespectacularqualityofpermanentcollections.TheNationalGallery,housingacollectionofwestEuropeanpaintings fromthe13th tothe19thcenturies,hasmasterpieces tomatchany thatarrive for loanshows.TheSainsburyWing includesacollectionofearlyRenaissancewonderswhichsurpassesanyotheroutside Italy—what’smore, youcanenjoy themincontemplativepeace.Don’tmissVenusatherMirrorbyDiegoVelázquez

10TheFrickCollection,

NewYorkHenryClayFrickwasoneof thegreatbaronsofAmerica’sageof industry: the

FrickCollection ishoused inwhatwas, remarkably,hishome—oneof thelast survivingmansionsof theGildedAge.Bellini,Rembrandt,Vermeer,Goya,Whistler: theseastonishingworksofartaredisplayed inwhat is,essentially, adomestic setting.Frickwas the sortofmanwhohung fivepaintingsbyGainsborough inhisdiningroomandwhose tea servicewascomposedof 17th-centuryporcelainfromtheQingdynasty.Awonderaroundeverycorner.Don’tmissHolbein’sportraitsofHenryVIII’sministers,ThomasesMoreandCromwell.Youdecidewhosesideyou’reon

11Rijksmuseum,Amsterdam

Myfavourite...byEdmunddeWaalI remember theoldplacewitheverythingbathed inersatzRembrandtgloom.Everythingwasbrownpots, pictures,furnitureanddiscoveringanythingwashappenstance, amuchoverratedexperienceoutsidenovels.ThenewRijksmuseumisa triumph.There is theself-confident rediscoveryandrestorationof theoriginal 19th-centurymuseum,gilded,mosaiced, frescoedandcapacious.Thisallowsyouto seethecollectionsas iffor the first time; collections that spanDelftware toVermeer. It is exhilarating tohave themback.Don’tmissTheInteriorofStOdulphuskerk inAssendelftbyPieterJanszSaenredam(1649)

12BorgheseGallery,Rome

Thebruteambitionof theMafia-likeBorghese familywhopresidedoverRomansociety,not just asprincesandpontiffsbutalsoasartisticpatrons,becomesmoreapparentwhenyouvisitthegallery thathouses thebulkof itscollection.Hereare thepossessionsofadynastywhoseproclivity forpowerfuldramaerupts in its taste for thedramaticmasterworksof classicalantiquityandalso for suchcontemporariesas the rogueCaravaggioandthe rumbustiousPeterPaulRubens.Don’tmissApolloandDaphnebyBernini

13VanGoghMuseum,Amsterdam

TherefurbishedVanGoghmuseumcelebrates theexhilarating imaginationandimpetuous forceofapainterwho,though inhis timewrittenoffasamadfailure,hasbecomeoneof themostpopularandrecognisableartists intheworld.Don’tmissTheSunflowers

14Muséed’Orsay,Paris

Gared’Orsaywas theParis stationfor thesouthwestofFrance, butitsplatformsbecametooshort formodern trains.The ideaof turning itintoanartgallerywasacceptedby theFrenchGovernment, andso, itwasopened in 1986. ItscollectionofFrench19th-centuryartconsistsofawonderfularrayof thegreat Impressionists includingDegas,Manet,Monet,Renoir, andmanyothers.Don’tmissRenoir’sBaldumoulinde laGaletteof 1876

15YaleCentreforBritishArt,New

Haven,ConnecticutPaulMellon,whodied in 1999,gavehiscollectionofBritishartand this finegallery toYaleUniversity. Itwasopened in1977.ThearchitectLouis I. Kahncreatedabuilding,withan interiorofmarble,whiteoakandBelgian linenthatwould showthepictures inasmuchdiffusednatural lightaspossible. It contains the largestcollectionofBritishartoutsideofBritain,withpaintingsandprintsbyartists suchasHolbein,GainsboroughandTurner, aswell asmanyrarebooksandmanuscripts.Don’tmissALionAttackingaHorse(1762)byGeorgeStubbs

16TateModern,London

Myfavourite...by IwonaBlazwickThewow-factorof theTurbineHall is justonereasonwhyTateModern is suchagreatbuilding tovisit.But it is also theprelude toa journey throughspaceandtimeofferedbythecollectiondisplaysandexhibitions.Thismuseumgives thebeginner’s guide toeveryaspectofmodernandcontemporaryart.All themajormovements in theartofour timearerepresentedand intelligentlycontextualised.TateModern’s increasingopenness to showingworkbywomenandbynon-Westernartistsalsoprovidesacounterpoint to traditional collections.Don’tmissLivingSculpture, 1966,byMarisaMerz

17MuseumofIslamicArt,Doha,Qatar

Even inDoha,with its famouslyeclecticskyline, thismodernist zigguratof abuilding is a landmark in itsownright.

Inside is theworld’smost completecollectionof Islamicartefacts.Drawnfromeverywhere, fromSpain toCentralAsia,andencompassingceramicsthroughmetalworkand jewellery totextiles, coinsandglass, it reflects thediverse complexityandeye-catchingvitalityof Islam’sartistic traditions.Don’tmissThe15th-centuryCentralAsianKoran,created for theEmperorTimur

18HamburgerBahnhof,Berlin

It’snot just thehugeNeoclassicalfaçadeof thismuseumwith its twotowersandnow-trademarknight-lightingby themodernistDanFlavin thatwillimpress visitors.Thedisplays insidearejustas imposing.Thismuseumisdedicated toartcreatedsince the 1960s;toall that is testing to theparametersoftraditionandtaste.Don’tmissTheFriedrichChristianFlickCollection

19VaticanMuseums,Rome

“SinceGodhasgivenus thepapacy,letusenjoy it,”declaredPopeLeoX.Thanksto the immenseartcollectionsbuiltupbya successionofavariciouspontiffs, theVaticanCityhasacomplexofartgallerieswithpainterlymasterpieces,ancientEtruscantreasuresand,of course,someof thegreatestworksby thehighRenaissanceartistswhomthepopescommissioned, including frescoesbyRaphaelandMichelangelo.Don’tmissTheSistineChapel

20TheBarnesFoundation,

Philadelphia,PennsylvaniaMyfavourite...byJeremyDellerIn 1922,AlbertCoombsBarnes, asuccessful chemist, establishedtheBarnesFoundation for thepurposeof “promoting theadvancementofeducationandtheappreciationof thefinearts”. It’s agreat, eclectic collection,displayedunusually,mixing timeandspaceandplacingImpressionist andModernistmasterworksalongsideancientsculpturesandnativecrafts.Wayaheadof its time.Don’tmiss “At-Montrouge”—RosaLaRougebyHenrideToulouse-LautrecW

TheTimes listof the50bestgalleries in theworldwascompiledwithnominationsfrom:CharlesAsprey,aLondon-basedcollectorandpublisher; IwonaBlazwick,director,WhitechapelGallery;WilliamBoyd,novelist;RachelCampbell-Johnston,chiefartcritic,TheTimes; JeremyDeller,artist;DerwentMay,journalistandauthor;AndrewMcKenzie,UKboarddirector,OldMasterPaintings,Bonhams;SimondePury,artauctioneerandcollector;BobandRobertaSmith,artist;CristinaRuiz,editor-at-large,TheArtNewspaper; ClaireShea,curatorat theCassSculptureFoundation;EdmunddeWaal,artistandauthorofTheHareWithAmberEyes

George Stubbs’s A LionAttacking a Horse at theYale Centre for BritishArt, Connecticut; right,the Museum of IslamicArt in Doha, Qatar

NextweekThe50bestmuseums intheworld

The world’s 50greatest galleriesFrom Bilbao to Beijing, from the Louvre to the Leopold, ourteam of cultural experts picks the finest displays of great art

visual art

Giuseppe Momo’s spiralstaircase, above, in theVatican Museum, Rome;Las Meninas by DiegoVelázquez, above right,in the Prado Museum,Madrid; Van Gogh’s SelfPortrait with Felt Hat,below, in the Van GoghMuseum, Amsterdam

BRIDGEMAN ART LIBRARY

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CONTRASTO / EYEVINE

Andy Warhol’s signature Campbell’s Soup Cans at MoMA, New York