Museums

A detailed view of a prehistoric painting in Lascaux IV in the Dordogne. The painting depicts a spotted bull with black and red details, surrounded by abstract shapes and natural rock textures. The artwork demonstrates the expressive techniques used in ancient cave art.

Why Visit Lascaux IV in the Stunning Dordogne

Arts & Culture, Destinations, France, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Why Visit Lascaux IV in the Stunning Dordogne

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 07:16 pm

A visit to Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France is a must for the artsy traveler.

Here you will view the incredible prehistoric cave art created by our artistically-inclined ancestors over 30,000 years ago (give or take a few centuries).

The size, breadth, and sheer beauty of the paintings definitely will take your breath away.

In this post, I’m sharing my experience at Lascaux IV near the charming town of Montignac in the Dordogne region of France.

A close-up of a prehistoric animal painting on a rock, showcasing intricate black and brown details. The text overlay reads "Lascaux IV: Awe-Inspiring Prehistoric Art" with the website "artsytraveler.com" at the bottom.

Location of Lascaux IV

The map below shows the location of Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France. It is close to the charming town of Montignac.

Trip map created with Wanderlog, an itinerary planner on iOS and Android

Some Background

The caves of Lascaux were discovered in 1940 by a group of young boys. For fifteen years, it was open to the public until finally being closed in 1963 after it was discovered that bacteria from visitors’ breath was eradicating the paintings at an alarming rate.

I first visited Lascaux II in 1995 almost reluctantly because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to see the “real thing”, so why bother?

Lascaux II

Lascaux II opened in 1984–an almost exact facsimile created to show tourists the paintings in the Great Hall of the Bulls and the Painted Gallery. Purist as I was back in those days, I didn’t think a facsimile could be as good as the real thing.

I was very wrong.

As a cave replica, Lascaux II was small, cramped, and fabulous. The magnificence of the prehistoric paintings blew us away, particularly inspiring Gregg (my husband & an artist–meet him on the About page) to create several paintings related to our visit.

I could hardly believe the paintings were in fact almost exact replicas of the real thing.

Lascaux III and IV

The Lascaux cave’s fame as the premier destination for prehistoric art lovers in France, or indeed all of Europe, continued to grow.

In 2012, reproductions of the paintings, called Lascaux III, were taken on the road. 

Then, in 2016, the massive complex that now houses Lascaux IV and its accompanying museum opened to the public.

The Vézère valley as a whole contains 147 prehistoric sites dating from the Palaeolithic and 25 decorated caves, and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Preparing to Visit Lascaux IV

Secure your reservations for the English tour weeks before you are planning to visit Lascaux.

There were only three English tours available daily during the three days I was staying in the Dordogne Valley. Even a month out, only a few spots remained in the time slot I wanted (11:10 am).

I snapped up the tickets, printed them off, and looked forward to the ultimate prehistoric treat.

I knew the paintings themselves would not have changed since I saw them in Lascaux II back in 1995, but I was interested to see how the Lascaux IV iteration had enhanced the experience.

Buy Tickets in Advance at https://www.lascaux.fr/en or combine with a tour that includes transport from Sarlat-la-Canéda.

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Touring Lascaux IV

I arrive about twenty minutes before the designated time slot and park in the huge lot across from the long, low modern building housing Lascaux IV, built below the hill that houses the real Lascaux cave.

exterior of Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France

In the airy atrium, you can spend the time before your tour starts browsing the gift shop and discovering a whole new level of Lascaux-themed merch.

Before leaving the gift shop, I can’t resist snapping a pic of a whole wall of prehistoric animal stuffies. Is life truly worth living without a stuffed mammoth? I think not.

wall of stuffed animals including mammoths, saber toothed tigers and more

The tour begins with a flurry of English-speaking people affixing headsets and audio receivers as the cheerful guide asks if we are “hearing my voice in your head?”

After several minutes, all thirty or so of us are kitted out and the tour begins in an elevator.

Starting Outside Lascaux IV

We zip up to the roof of the low-slung building and learn about the discovery of the Lascaux cave in 1940. A man was out with his dog Robot (yep, that was the dog’s name) and discovered the narrow entrance to the cave at the top of the wooded hill behind the building. He returned the next day with three boys.

They entered the cave through a 15-metre-deep shaft and discovered cave walls covered with depictions of animals—aurochs, bison, deer, horses, and more.

Our guide plays up the drama of the discovery and then invites us to cast ourselves back 30,000 years to imagine leaving the fresh air to clamber into a dark cave.

He reminds us frequently that the humans who created the paintings in Lascaux are the same as us, biologically speaking. They were Cro-Magnon, relatively recent arrived in the area which had been inhabited for several hundreds of thousands of years by their Neanderthal cousins.

Entering Lascaux IV

With a flourish, the door slides open and we troop into the narrow cave. Our guide exhorts us to proceed in total silence and with reverence for what we are about to witness. He does a good job of setting the scene.

My art sensors are on high alert.

The door slides shut behind us and we are in the first room.

Arching high above us and on the walls either side are an awe-inspiring jumble of painted animals. Some overlap, and the prevailing impression is one of constant, joyous movement. Looking up in the eerie light cast by the guide’s flashlight, the animals sway and gallop across the uneven surfaces of the cave.

Each bump and swell of the simulated rock has been incorporated into the bodies of the animals in exact imitation of how the animals appear in the real cave.

Painting of a horse in Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France

Description of Images

The images of animals cavorting above us are not primitive scratchings on a rock wall. This is the prehistoric Sistine Chapel. The beauty and freshness of the vividly colored animals explode in front of us. We gasp with wonder and respect. These early painters truly were artists.

Throughout the tour, the guide emphasizes that we have no idea why the long-ago artists made these paintings. The prevailing theory is that they were made because the artists wanted to make them.

In other words, these cave artists were not much different from an artist in any period. They created the animals they saw outside the cave in all their kinetic glory because, well, they just kinda felt like it. Perhaps they painted during the winter when game was scarce.

Being inside a relatively warm and cozy cave was better than being outside in the snow. Who knows!

Types of Images in Lascaux

The cave contains nearly 6,000 figures, the vast majority of which are animals. One bird-headed human figure appears in a shaft that they don’t include in Lascaux IV (but show in the museum).

The cave also includes various symbols whose meaning archeologists have yet to determine.

representation of a human in Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France

There are no images of the surrounding landscape or the local vegetation. The animals charge across the cave walls and ceiling unencumbered by gravity.

Creating the Images

The artists used three colors: red, yellow, and black made from minerals and sometimes mixed with grease. Tools used include early versions of brushes along with tubes for blowing the paint onto the rock.

The museum we enter after touring the replica cave provides many more details.

Hall of the Bulls

First up is the Hall of the Bulls. The clarity, brightness and size of the many images is spectacular. Each animal looks like it was painted yesterday, which is sort of true since it’s a replica, but it’s a replica of what the real caves look like.

The Hall of the Bulls contains 130 figures, including cows, horses, aurochs, and the only bear in the cave. One of the bulls is enormous. Spanning 5.5 meters, it’s the world’s largest known prehistoric representation of an animal.

Also in the hall is the first unicorn—a representation of an animal that never existed in nature.

What was the artist thinking? Why did he or she choose to paint it?

We’ll never know. The guide spends a lot of time focusing on the unicorn and speculating.

Painting of a unicorn in Lascaux IV in the Dordogne region of France

We keep going through the hall to the axial gallery, a 30-meter passage dubbed the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory.

My favorite is the line of small horses merrily cantering along one wall. Called the Frieze of the Small Horses, they face the direction of the entrance to the Axial gallery. Each one is different in color, size, and shape.

Overhead flow more horses and bulls and cows and aurochs and even two ibexes in a joyous celebration of movement and color.

Below is a stock photo of one of the ceilings. Photography inside the replica cave is forbidden so I wasn’t able to snap my own pics.

A photograph of the Lascaux Cave ceiling featuring prehistoric paintings of red and black bison and other animals on a cracked, ochre-toned rock surface. The artwork highlights the artistry and symbolism of early humans.

The Nave

Five large stags follow in a row, only their heads and antlers visible as if they are swimming.

Also there are two black bison facing back to back with the rump of one placed just ahead of the other to give a 3D effect. They look like they are galloping off in opposite directions.

Where Are the Reindeers?

Being inside the replica cave is somewhat claustrophobic and yet wondrous at the same time. I try to imagine what compelled people just like me to lower themselves into a cave and use tools and pigments to cover walls with a riot of animals in motion.

And what’s even more astonishing is that not one of the animals depicted is a reindeer—the most plentiful animal roaming the landscape at the time.

Why did the artists only depict the less common animals instead of the one they depended on most for food? Again, no one knows.

The population of France during the time when the paintings were created was less than 50,000 people. And yet a fair number of them must have been artists, considering the large number of painted caves in the Dordogne area, elsewhere in France, and in northern Spain.

The guide tells us that all the painted caves in existence will never be discovered.

Ending the Tour

At the end of the tour, we emerge into the sunlight to the sound of running water. The guide asks us to consider the role water played in creating caves of hollowed-out rock beneath the earth.

After answering questions, the guide leads us into the museum. Here, each of the main panels in the caves is reproduced so we can study them more closely and also take pictures. As mentioned, photography is forbidden within the caves.

Exploring the Museum

The museum is very high-tech and stylish.

After snapping pictures of my favorite parts of the cave, I check out some of the interactive stations where people are invited to try “painting” on the screen using the colors and tools available to the cave artists. It’s all very cleverly done.

Once out, we make a quick pit stop at the gift shop and load up on Lascaux-themed merch.

I buy myself a Lascaux mouse pad, a fridge magnet to add to our growing collection, a stylized figurine of an auroch, and a book about Lascaux so we can read about what we’ve just seen.

Where to Stay in the Dordogne

You’ll find plenty of quaint and picturesque places to stay in the Dordogne region of France. Les Eyzies du Tabac, about a 20-minute drive from Montignac is a good choice.

I stayed in the Comtess de Dordogne. The property includes a chateaux, a pool, gorgeous grounds, and cosy one-bedroom cabins. The place is also a short walk into Les Eyzies du Tabac where you can tour the marvelous Prehistory Museum.

Also good is Domaine de Monrecour near Sarlat and Hotel Les Glycines near Montignac.

Tour Options for the Dordogne

Here are some more options for guided tours of the Dordogne area of France. Allocate at least a week for the area. I stayed for just three days on my most recent trip, and it was not long enough!

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Conclusion

A visit to Lascaux IV is a must if you’re traveling in the Dordogne area. It’s located close to the charming village of Montignac. Have you visited? Share your impressions and your tips for other artsy travelers in the comments.

Here are some more posts about wonderful things to see and do while traveling in France:

Discover the Best of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, France, Museums Artsy Traveler 2 Comments on Discover the Best of the Musée d’Orsay in Paris

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 07:22 pm

What is the “best of the Musée d’Orsay”? That’s a matter of opinion for sure!

What I think are the best pieces, and what others think is pretty subjective!

But I can confidently say that every artsy traveler who visits the Musée d’Orsay in Paris will not be disappointed. 

A visit to the Musée d’Orsay is always a high point for me, no matter how many times I walk through the grand hall on the main floor and ride the escalators to view the outstanding collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist art on the 5th floor.

An image showing the exterior of the Musée d'Orsay with the text “Musée d’Orsay, Must-See for the Artsy Traveler to Paris” and the website “artsytraveler.com” below.

The Musée d’Orsay is more than a must-see for the artsy traveler. It’s akin to a pilgrimage! It certainly ranks as one of my all-time-favorite European museums. In this post, I share some of what I consider the top  masterpieces.

Musée d’Orsay at a Glance

Location

The map below shows the location of the Musée d’Orsay (#1) in Paris. Also shown is the location of the Louvre for Renaissance, Baroque and 19th-Century art (#2), the Cluny for medieval art (#3), and the Pompidou for modern art (#4).

This map was created with Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Tickets

Always reserve a time to visit the Musée d’Orsay to avoid standing in long lines. You can reserve directly from the museum’s website, or purchase tickets through resellers such as Tiquets.com or GetYourGuide.

Once you’ve entered the museum, consider whether to pick up an audio guide.

Two types of audio guides are available. You can hire one at the museum that will include commentary on the contents of both the permanent collection and the main temporary exhibition on during your visit. Alternatively, you can download an audio guide onto your mobile phone that includes commentary only on the main temporary exhibition.

Touring the Top Masterpieces at the Musée d’Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay’s collection is housed in a converted railway station. As such, part of its attraction is the massive atrium that stretches the length of the museum and is filled with light and sculptures. 

Long galleries run either side of the atrium and contain mostly academic paintings from the 19th century. Some of these rooms are skippable, unless you’re a fan of the overly florid, heroic style popular during the mid-19th century.

However, make sure you pop into the galleries to the left that include several masterpieces by Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet.

A photograph of the interior of the Musée d'Orsay, highlighting its grand arched ceiling, sculptures, and visitors walking through the gallery.

Most visitors head for the far end of the atrium and take the escalators to the fifth floor where they find one of the world’s largest collections of impressionist paintings, in addition to an impressive number of paintings by post-impressionists.

A series of rooms includes works by all the late-19th century biggies–Manet, Monet, Renoir, van Gogh, Morisot, and more.

The following highlights of what see is presented according to artist rather than the order in which you’ll encounter them while walking through the museum. All of the works mentioned are in the collection on the fifth floor.

Edouard Manet

The collection includes several iconic pieces by Edouard Manet. I zeroed in on two of them as representative of my favorite aspects of his work. I like the way he flattens the planes and uses a fairly neutral palette.

Even bright colors such as red and blue have gray undertones. Manet’s work always seems much more understated than the work of some of his contemporaries like Monet and especially Renoir.

Sur la Plage by Manet

Manet’s wife and brother sit on the beach—she is reading and he is staring out at the boats sailing along the English Channel. By making the sky take up a very small percentage of the painting, the focus is on the beach itself and the figures.

Manet’s sketchy, fluid brushstrokes makes the scene look like a snapshot in time, as though at any moment the figures will shift position.

A framed painting showing a man and woman sitting on the beach, facing the sea with sailboats in the distance. The woman wears a white bonnet with black ribbons.

Dejeuner sur l’herbe by Manet

If I had to choose the most famous painting in the Musée d’Orsay, I think it would have to be Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe. It’s also one of my favorites.

I’m certainly not alone in loving this piece, which has been reproduced countless times and analyzed within an inch of its life.

Manet painted it in 1863 and included it in the Salon des Refusés along with other artists who were excluded from the Salon (the exhibition of all the accepted painters of the day).

Manet’s large painting shocked critics and the public because it represented such a marked departure from the academic tradition of only depicting mythological figures as nudes.

In this painting, there is a naked woman next to two men wearing modern dress. She looks brazenly out at the viewer as if to dare them to be shocked. The work was deemed to be obscene not only because of its subject matter but because of its loose brushstrokes, contempt for the rules of perspective, and violent contrasts.

Nowadays, we consider it a masterpiece, and it is certainly arresting.

A framed painting depicting a woman sitting nude beside two men in formal attire in a forest clearing, with a picnic spread and another woman in the background.

Paul Gauguin

Gauguin’s paintings always make me smile. He combines bright colors in sometimes startling ways and depicts his figures and his landscapes with a flattened perspective that gives them a pleasing immediacy, as though they could easily step out of the canvas.

Gauguin’s work is exhibited alongside several other painters of the Pont-Aven School.

On a recent trip to Europe, I spent a week in Pont-Aven, mostly because Gregg (husband and usual travel companion and also artist) is fascinated by the work that was done there by painters such as Gauguin, Bernard, and Sérusier, and wanted to be inspired by the same landscape that inspired them.

Paysage de Bretagne by Gauguin

This beautiful landscape of a typical scene in Brittany practically glows. The red and orange bushes on the mid-section contrast intensely with the blue sky and bright green foreground.

A framed landscape painting showcasing a rural scene with houses, autumn foliage, and two figures standing with a dog in a green field.

La Belle Angèle by Gauguin

Gauguin completed this portrait of Marie-Angélique Satre in 1889. He depicts the woman in traditional dress in a composition reminiscent of both Japanese prints and medieval stained-glass windows.

Perhaps as a nod to his Peruvian heritage (his mother was born in Peru), Gauguin includes a Peruvian-inspired piece of pottery next to his model.

A framed portrait of a woman in traditional Breton attire, set against a backdrop with flowers and a gold-colored figurine. The text “La Belle Angèle” is inscribed on the painting.

Émile Bernard

Bernard was another painter in the Pont-Aven School. Called Les Bretonnes aux ombrelles, this striking depiction of Breton women wearing traditional dress shows how Bernard, as a post-impressionist, ignored perspective, instead filling both the foreground and the background with his figures, bringing them into prominence.

I’m reminded of medieval paintings where the figures take precedence over perspective.

A framed artwork featuring women in traditional dress sitting on the ground with umbrellas, while others stand nearby. The background includes greenery and a large building.

Paul Sérusier

Another member of the Pont-Aven School, Sérusier has become one of my faves from this period. His work almost borders on abstraction and I love how he uses color.

Le champ de blé d’or et de sarrasin by Sérusier

This golden field takes up almost the entire painting, with just a bit at the top for the sky. I feel like I could walk straight into it and be instantly enveloped in a riot of flowers.

A vertical painting portraying a field of wildflowers with tall trees in the background. The colors are rich, with warm yellows, reds, and greens dominating the scene.

Tetrahedra by Sérusier

Painted around 1910, this piece showing floating objects in a formless space is part of a cycle of pictures by Sérusier that pushed the boundaries of Symbolism towards abstraction.

Sérusier believed that geometric forms were sacred and in this painting he depicts his thinking on the origins of life and the universe. The chromatic range of colors progresses towards the light, passing from the coldest to the warmest shades.

The painting is just a delight!

A framed abstract painting showing pyramid-like shapes floating in a textured background, transitioning from golden hues at the top to cool green and blue tones at the bottom.

Vincent van Gogh

It’s never difficult to spot a painting by van Gogh in the Musée d’Orsay since there’s always a clutch of people holding cameras aloft in front it.

There are several van Goghs—all fabulous—but I include here just two that I particularly love.

La Salle de danse à Arles by van Gogh

I was surprised to discover a painting by van Gogh that I’d never seen before. At first, I thought it was by Gauguin because the way the figures are depicted and the colors used remind me of his work.

But nope – it’s van Gogh. What an energetic, lively piece this is! Van Gogh really captured the almost frenzied crush of people, the women wearing Arlesian headdresses, their expressions blank.

An intricately framed painting depicting a busy social scene with numerous people, dressed in dark clothing and bonnets, gathered under glowing yellow lights in an indoor venue.

The Starry Night by van Gogh

Van Gogh painted a few versions of Arles on a starry night. This one is not quite as well known, but it’s still fabulous. Van Gogh worked by candlelight to complete a night view of Arles illuminated by gas lamps and the Great Bear constellation glittering in the sky.

A framed painting by Vincent van Gogh depicting a star-filled night sky reflected in the Rhône River, with figures walking on the shore and vibrant blue and yellow tones.

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Although Toulouse-Lautrec hailed from a wealthy family in Albi in the southwest of France, he became famous for his gritty depictions of real Parisians, many of whom were down on their luck, lonely, and marginalized. I’m particularly intrigued by two of his pieces depicting prostitutes.

Blonde prostitute, also known as Study for the Medical Inspection by Toulouse-Lautrec

The partially-clothed model is Gabrielle, a prostitute in a Parisian brothel. She’s getting ready to be inspected for venereal disease. Her expression could be interpreted as angry or stoic in the face of what must have been a very demeaning procedure.

A framed sketch by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of a woman in a pink dress and black stockings, standing with one leg bent, against a brown background.

Woman Pulling Up Her Stocking by Toulouse-Lautrec

Toulouse-Lautrec was a frequent visitor to the brothels and was able to sketch the prostitutes in all manner of poses. This drawing shows an everyday act—pulling on stockings—under the watchful eye of the brothel’s Madame.

A framed painting by Maximilien Luce showing fallen bodies on a cobblestone street, depicting a tragic moment with muted colors and a haunting atmosphere.

If you’re headed to southwest France, drop into Albi and tour the marvelous Musée Toulouse-Lautrec.

Maximilien Luce

This artist may not be as well known as many of the others in the collection, but this piece is a striking depiction of the violence that stalked Paris on and off throughout the 19th century.

This particular scene shows the aftermath of Bloody Week (May 21 to 28, 1871) when the Paris Commune was brutally suppressed and hundreds of people were shot down in the streets.

Painting of dead bodies in the streets by Maximilien Luce at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Paul Signac

This gorgeous portrait of Signac’s wife uses very sharp contrasts between complementary colors: yellow with purple, and orange-red with green. It’s a very stylized composition that shares an affinity with Art Nouveau posters.

A framed pointillist painting of a woman in a green dress holding a red parasol, with a yellow background and stylized flowers.

Berthe Morisot

I’ve long been a fan of Impressionist painter Berthe Morisot and am delighted to discover several paintings that I hadn’t seen before on display at the Musée d’Orsay. 

Les Deux Soeurs by Morisot

This painting depicts two dreamy-looking young girls  just emerging from adolescence. The blossoming hydrangea symbolizes their imminent emergence into womanhood.

Morisot is considered by many (myself included) to be one of the most impressionist of the Impressionists. She uses very loose brushstrokes and almost abstract backgrounds to convey a real sense of immediacy.

Her paintings look so fresh and alive. I like them so much more than works by painters such as Renoir that can look too over-worked and florid.

A framed painting by Berthe Morisot featuring a seated young woman in a flowing pink dress with another woman behind her, set against a backdrop of blooming hydrangeas.

Le Berceau by Morisot

This portrait of Morisot’s sister gazing at her newborn child is so tender and domestic. And the way Morisot conveys the sheerness of the fabric draped around the baby’s crib is incredible–again proving just how skilled (and under-appreciated) a painter she was.

A framed painting by Berthe Morisot showing a mother in a dark dress watching over her baby in a white bassinet draped with sheer fabric.

Paul Cézanne

Cézanne’s works are so redolent of the south of France that I can almost feel the heat coming off the canvases. His palette of warm greens and oranges perfectly captures the landscape around Aix-en-Provence.

Montagne Sainte-Victoire by Cézanne

Here’s one of many versions of Mont Sainte-Victoire near Aix-en-Provence. It’s such a bright, cheerful painting that perfectly captures the heat and space of one of France’s most beautiful landscapes.

A framed painting by Paul Cézanne of Mont Sainte-Victoire, featuring a scenic landscape of rolling hills, green foliage, and a prominent mountain in the background.

Rochers près des grottes au-dessus du Château-Noir by Cézanne

This piece perfectly captures the profusion of rocks and dense foliage in the countryside around Aix-en-Provence, where I’ve spent a fair bit of time over the years. No wonder painters who came after Cézanne credit him with being the father of Cubism.

A framed painting by Paul Cézanne depicting large rocks and lush green trees, with abstract brushstrokes of earthy tones.

Gustave Courbet

One of the most controversial paintings in the Musée d’Orsay is L’Origine du Monde by Gustave Courbet, a foremost proponent of realism. This piece was acquired by the museum in 1995, but wasn’t displayed publicly until quite recently.

When you see it, you’ll know why! It’s an amazing painting!

I have a soft spot for this painting because I read an excellent novel called L’Origine by Lilianne Milgrom and interviewed her on the Art In Fiction Podcast (my podcast featuring interviews with authors of arts-inspired novels!).

Lilianne’s novel tells the story of the painting from its commission by the Turkish-Egyptian diplomat Khalil-Bey to its acquisition by the Musée d’Orsay.

Claude Monet

One entire wall is taken up with a series of five paintings showing views of Rouen Cathedral that Monet painted at different times of day. Here are three of them.

Rouen Cathedral 1 by Monet
Rouen Cathedral 2 by Monet
Rouen Cathedral 3 by Monet

Mary Cassatt

Cassatt joined the Impressionist group after moving to Paris from America in the 1870s.

In this painting, she depicts the young girl, using very subtle white tones to stand out against the brightly colored background. While the clothing is almost sketched in, the face and hands are rendered with gorgeous precision.

Painting of a young girl by Mary Cassatt at the Musee d'Orsay in paris

Edgar Degas

Degas is most famous for his paintings of ballet dancers at the Paris Opera, and the Musée d’Orsay has several examples, including this one showing dancers practicing on stage.

The figures are in various attitudes–some dancing, some stretching, one even scratching her back. Degas uses subtle tones and ethereal brushwork to convey filmy tutus and barely hinted-at expressions.

Dancers at the opera by Degas at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Auguste Renoir

I’m not a huge fan of most of Renoir’s work. He’s an important painter but I find his figures a little too florid. The exception is, for me, this piece called Danse du Moulin de la Galette, arguably one of the most famous of Renoir’s paintings.

It depicts the famous guinguette–an open-air drinking establishment with food and dancing–that was located at the foot of a former windmill on the Butte de Montmartre in Paris.

The dance is attended by the working class in Paris, such as shop assistants, artists, workers, and just regular folks. The play of light and shadow bring the painting to life, making the viewer feel like they could step in and take a turn around the dance floor.

Dance at the Moulin de la Galette by August Renoir at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Gustave Caillebotte

I first saw and was entranced by this painting in the Musée d’Orsay several years ago. Its subject matter is so different from the other paintings in the collection. It’s not a portrait or a landscape, but instead a depiction of three working men (The Floor Scrapers) who are busily scraping a floor in a fine Haussmann-style apartment in Paris.

Critics at the time condemned the painting’s subject matter as vulgar. Few would agree with that assessment nowadays! There is something so compelling about the concentration of the men and the way in which Caillebotte uses such a limited palette to convey so many tones of browns and grays.

And check out how the light spills in from the window!

The Floor Scrapers by Gustave Caillebotte at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris

Love Among the Recipes at the Musée d’Orsay

After touring the Musée d’Orsay, I couldn’t resist taking a shot of Love Among the Recipes, my fourth novel (set in Paris), in front of the great clock.

The museum plays a role in the novel, with one of its most important scenes taking place on the 5th floor in front of a painting by Mary Cassatt!

Love Among the Recipes by Carol M. Cram in front of the clock at the Musees d'Orsay in Paris

Practical Information

The Musée d’Orsay can sell out so buy your tickets online at least a day or two before you plan to travel to Paris (possibly more during the busy summer months).

Guided Tour

Consider taking a guided tour of the Musée d’Orsay so you can learn more about the pieces included in this post, along with many more.kets online at least a day or two before you plan to travel to Paris (possibly more during the busy summer months). Here’s an option from GetYourGuide:

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Tickets for Other Art Museums in Paris

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Where to Stay in Paris

Here are four options to consider for staying in Paris. All are on the Left Bank, which is my preferred location.

The Hotel de l’Université is a reasonably-priced (for Paris) hotel is on a quiet side street in the sixth arrondisement, a few blocks from the lively area around rue Bonaparte and Boulevard Saint-Germain.

In the fourteenth arrondisement, I recommend the Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes, which is stylish and in a great location close to some of Montparnasse’s most famous restaurants.

IIn the fifth arrondisement, I recommend the Hôtel Le Clos Médicis which has a great location about a block from the Luxembourg Gardens near the Boulevard Saint Michel.

If you’re looking for an apartment, this HUGE apartment on rue de Sevres on the Left Bank (#5 on the map at the beginning of this post) is pricey,but excellent value because of its size and central location. Compared to a typical hotel room in Paris, it’s almost a bargain (not that bargain is an appropriate word for any accommodations in the center of Paris).

Conclusion

If you’re an art lover, then I suggest making the Musée d’Orsay the first major art museum you visit in Paris, even more important then the Louvre.

The Musée d’Orsay’s collection is smaller and much more accessible than the vast collection in the Louvre and the crowds are considerably smaller. A visit there is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Paris.

Have you visited the Musée D’Orsay? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Exterior of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Best of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum: Guaranteed Thrills for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, Museums, Netherlands Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Best of Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum: Guaranteed Thrills for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 9th, 2025 at 07:19 pm

Heading to Amsterdam? If you love art, then save time to visit the Rijksmuseum, one of the top museums in the world.

In this post, I share some of my favorite pieces at the Rijksmuseum, a must-visit gallery for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers. Make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

Refurbished and renovated, the new Rijksmuseum is a total delight. It’s even more amazing than the Van Gogh Museum, although I suppose it’s not fair to compare!

Rijksmuseum at a Glance

In this post, I share my favorite pieces at the Rijksmuseum, a must-visit for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers. Make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

Overview of the Rijksmuseum

On my first visit to Amsterdam in 1970, I remember the Dutch National Museum (the Rijksmuseum) as a gloomy, rather dingy place.

The famous Night Watch by Rembrandt was so dark as to be virtually invisible, and I don’t recall seeing any of the amazing objets d’art, from porcelain violins to full-size doll houses, that I saw on recent visits.

While most people associate the Rijksmuseum with its awesome collection of paintings by Dutch Old Masters (Rembrant, Vermeer, Frans Hals and the gang), you’ll find so much more to see during your visit. 

Yes, check out the most famous paintings (more below), but also spend time enjoying the hundreds of other objects on display from medieval art to porcelain to model ships to doll houses.

You could spend days exploring the best of the Rijksmuseum!

Location of the Rijksmuseum

The map below shows the location of the Rijksmuseum (#1) in Amsterdam’s Museumplein, easily reached from the Centrum via trams 2 or 12. Also shown is the location of the Van Gogh Museum (#2) next door, and the location of the charming apartment we stayed in on tiny Sint Nicholastraat in the lively Centrum area (#3). Called Here’s Lucy, it’s highly recommended if you’re looking for a private one-bedroom apartment and a much better deal than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Amsterdam.

The location, not far from Amsterdam Central Station and the Damrak, is pretty much perfect.

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, a trip planner on iOS and Android

Medieval Art at the Rijksmuseum

The first room I enter features art from the Middle Ages—and wow! I have a soft spot for art from this period that spans from 1100 to about 1500, and the Rijksmuseum has a superb and varied collection. Here are a few of the knockout pieces.

Wood Sculptures

The figures in this wood sculpture were created in 1475 from a hunk of oak and formed part of a large altar. It depicts the adoration of the newborn child by the Virgin, Joseph and the angels. Check out the detail and the expressions on the faces.

Wood sculpture of jesus and apostles in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

This amusing sculpture from around 1380 of a monk who can barely see over the edge of the pulpit is actually a medieval ink pot. The scribe dipped his pen or quill in the sleeves of the monk’s habit.

Medieval wood sculpture of monk in pulpit s in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

And look at this gem of a sculpture that dates from 1520 – closer to Renaissance than medieval. It’s one of three related pieces. This one depicts the celebration of Mass with Christ. Check out the bread Christ holds in his hands and also the impassive look on the servant girl’s face.

Wood sculpture of Jesus with apostles at dinner n the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

One of the reasons I like medieval art so much is because it depicts the elaborate gowns worn by both men and women, but particularly women.

This wooden sculpture is one of 24 similar-sized sculptures that ringed the tomb of Isabella of Bourbon, the wife of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. She died in 1465. The figures represented mourning family members and ancestors and were known as “weepers”.

Medieval statue at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Renaissance Paintings

While most of the paintings in the medieval and Renaissance rooms at the Rijksmuseum were created in the low countries, this depiction of Mary Magdalene comes from Italy and is an example of the International Gothic style.

I’m quite taken by the elaborate coiffure and the beautiful way in which the red gown is rendered.

Gothic painting in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

This landscape depicts an episode in the conquest of America and was painted in 1535 not long after the conquest.

The painting is the first to depict Spanish soldiers subduing the people who lived in the “new world.” Jan Jansz Mostaert, the painter, created a traditional European landscape and then added a few exotic elements—a monkey, a porcupine, and some parrots— to show that the landscape was not in fact European.

Painting of soldiers in the New World at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Dutch Ships at the Rijksmuseum

Several rooms are devoted to displaying models of Dutch ships. They are remarkable!

This model of a Dutch warship in the late 17th century was made at the same dockyards where real warships were built. It’s about one/twelfth life-size. The real ship would have had 74 guns.

I am particularly taken by the elaborate decoration and the sheer size of the stern area where presumably the captain would have his quarters. I doubt conditions were quite so luxurious for the regular sailors.

Model of a Dutch warship in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam
Model ship in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Here’s another view of the many ship models in the Rijksmuseum.

Room of ship models in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Masterworks at the Rijksmuseum

Most visitors to the Rijksmuseum make a beeline for the “Gallery of Honour” which includes several paintings by Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer, probably the two most famous Dutch artists.

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch is displayed in a temperature-controlled structure so we can’t get very close. It’s an impressive artwork, for sure, and certainly much better to look at now than it was when I first saw it at the age of 14 when it was almost black.

Here’s my husband Gregg (the guy in black) checking it out.

The Night Watch at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

And here’s a close-up sans viewers.

Night Watch at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Thanks to glare, it’s almost impossible to get a decent shot, but you get the idea.

Rembrandt’s control of light and shadow in the painting is remarkable. There’s so much life and movement in the painting. Everyone is doing something.

I like the drummer to the right and the little girl to the left of the guy with the red sash.

The Jewish Bride by Rembrandt

In this beautiful portrayal of a newly married couple, Rembrandt used thick, impasto paint and worked it with a palette knife to create a glittering and sculptural relief.

There is a bittersweet quality to this painting. The man looks to be quite a bit older than his bride. While richly dressed, she looks very uncertain about what the future might hold for her.

Rembrandt's Jewish Bride at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

The Milkmaid by Vermeer

The small, intimate paintings by Vermeer are among the Rijksmuseum highlights. You’ll know that because you’ll see knots of people clustered around each Vermeer painting as they listen to tour guides or audio guides. 

I managed to sneak through and get this picture of The Milkmaid, which I’ve always had a soft spot for, perhaps because the subject is so humble and yet so exquisitely rendered.

She is totally intent upon her task, unaware she will be looked at by millions for centuries to come. This painting also shows how Vermeer was a master of light.

You really “get” how great Vermeer was when you compare his paintings to those of most of his contemporaries. While most are competently painted, they don’t glow like Vermeer’s paintings do. He didn’t complete many paintings in his life, but each one was a masterpiece.

The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn

This painting by Jan Asselijn is an oil on canvas from 1650. It’s reproduced on bags, mugs, tea towels and other products in the gift shop so obviously it strikes a chord with people.

The painting depicts a swan fiercely defending its nest against a dog. In later centuries, the scuffle was interpreted as a political allegory, with the white swan symbolizing the Dutch statesman Johann de Witt who was assassinated in 1672 while protecting the country from its enemies.

This meaning was attached to the painting when it became the first work to be accepted into the collection of the Nationale Kunstgalerij, the forerunner of the Rijksmuseum, in 1800. I’m guessing that the Dutch liked the image of their nation as a swan furiously defending itself.

Threatened Swan in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Lifes at the Rijksmuseum

I’ve developed a real fondness for still life paintings—of flowers, kitchen scenes, fruit, and the like.

I’m not sure why, but there’s something kind of comforting about super-realistic paintings of everyday things. And the Dutch are masters of the genre.

The Well-Stocked Kitchen by Joachim Beuckelaer

This piece by Joachim Beuckelaer painted in Antwerp in 1566, depicts Christ’s visit to Mary and Martha, although that’s hard to figure out because the action takes place in the background while in the foreground is a profusion of richly painted vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, and pots and pans.

The contrast between the foreground and the background conceals the message of the painting: do not give in to earthly temptations.

Large still life at the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Life of Flowers in a Glass Vase by Rachel Ruysch

I’m thrilled to discover that this stiff life was painted by a female artist I’d not heard of. Her name is Rachel Ruysch and I have discovered that she was big news in her time.

In fact, she was the most famous female artist of the period. Patrons loved her monumental, sumptuous flower still lifes like this one and paid big guilders to own one. Even after marrying and having ten children, Rachel Ruysch continued to not only paint, but also to sign her paintings with her own name. Now she’s an artist I want to know more about.

Rachel Rausch still life in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Later in the gift shop, I buy a stunningly illustrated book about still lifes from the Dutch Golden Age that includes quite a few of Ruysch’s paintings.

Unfortunately, the text is in Dutch, but I buy it anyway so I can enjoy looking at the paintings and drawings, most of which are by women artists. It appears that still lifes—and flower paintings in particular—were popular subjects for female painters of the period.

Still Life with Gilt Cup by Willem Claesz Heda

This painting includes an astounding array of grey tonalities. Heda’s palette is subtle—pewter, silver, damask, glass, mother-of-pearl, with a few yellow and ochre accents thrown in for good measure. He specialized in near monochromatic still lifes that were known as “tonal banquet pieces.”

Monochromatic still life in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Still Life with Cheese by Floris Claesz van Dijck

Van Dijck really brings the subjects in his painting to life. Check out the ridges in the slabs of cheese and how the pewter plate extending over the edge of the table seems to come right out of the painting.

Floris van Dijck was considered one of the pioneers of Dutch still-life painting.

Still life with cheese in the Riiksmuseum in Amsterdam

Flower Still Life with a Crown Imperios Fritillary in a Stone Niche by Jacob Woutersz Vosmaer

This impressively named painting is an exceptionally large example of a still life. There’s a tactile quality to the flowers that makes them look like they are moving.

And then there’s the wee mouse and the cracks in the wall—real life intruding on the luscious beauty of the flower arrangement.

Flower still life at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam

Other Notable Artists at the Rijksmuseum

Check out works by other Dutch masters including Frans Hals and Jan Steen. The Merry Drinker by Frans Hals is a perennial favorite.

Porcelain at the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum collection includes a lot of porcelain and china.

My eye is caught by this tin-glazed earthenware violin. It cannot be played and was made purely as a decorative object. The violin is considered to be an absolute masterpiece of Delft earthenware—and no wonder.

Porcelain violin at the Riiksmuseum in amsterdam

Doll Houses at the Rijksmuseum

One of the rooms in the Rijksmuseum is devoted to showcasing two extraordinary dollhouses. They’re both HUGE! And the detail in the rooms is truly astonishing. Here are just a few of the interiors.

Practical Information About the Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum can sell out so buy your tickets online at least a week before you plan to travel to Amsterdam (possibly more during the busy summer months). Most visitors appear to get the audio guide which probably enhances the viewing experience. We did not get it, preferring to discuss the pieces as we look at them. Click one of the options below to purchase your ticket.

Here’s an option that includes a guided tour:

Powered by GetYourGuide

Here are some options for tours of the Rijksmuseum offered through Tiqets.com

Where to Stay in Amsterdam

I visit Amsterdam frequently and so have stayed in a lot of different areas. My favorite area by far is the Centrum. You’ll pay more for proximity to the canals and the action, but it’s worth it!

Here are three options:

Mokum Suites overlooking the Herengracht canal and near the Rembrandtplein is fabulous. From my window on the 1st floor, I had a view over the canal.

Here’s Lucy is an apartment on a tiny side street very close to the Damrak–a perfect, and yet quiet, location in busy Amsterdam.

Holiday Inn Express – City Hall is a chain hotel but excellent value in a good location. Staff are friendly and you may even get a view of a canal!

Conclusion

The Rijksmuseum is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Amsterdam.

I would venture to say that it’s even better than the neighboring Van Gogh Museum simply because it’s a lot bigger and has a lot more to look at.

But at the same time, the Rijksmuseum is not overwhelming. In my opinion, it’s a perfectly sized major museum to keep me entertained for a good two or three hours, with a wee break at some point to sample a coffee and a piece of cake in the airy cafeteria and of course to check out the gift shop.

Have you visited the Rijksmuseum? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Carol Cram at Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, Europe, Museums, Netherlands Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 02:12 am

I remember the first time I saw the Van Gogh Museum, almost 50 years ago. Compared to the gingerbread façade of its neighbor, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum is sleek and modern, and when I first saw it in 1974, it was fringed with massively tall sunflowers. I burst out laughing. How appropriate!

The Van Gogh Museum houses the world’s most extensive and lovingly presented collection of work by the Netherlands’s fave artist–Vincent van Gogh.

During his lifetime, van Gogh didn’t get much love from his home country, but that oversight has been more than made up for in recent decades. Vincent van Gogh, who barely sold a painting during his life, is big business now.

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In this post, I share my favorite pieces at the Van Gogh Museum, a must-visit for Amsterdam-bound artsy travelers, although make sure you reserve well in advance (more on that later).

The map below shows the location of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam’s Museumplein, easily reached from the Centrum via trams 2 or 12.

Map thanks to Wanderlog, a trip planner app on iOS and Android

Also shown is the location of the Rijksmuseum next door, and the location of the charming apartment I stayed in on tiny Sint Nicholastraat in the lively Centrum area. Called Here’s Lucy, it’s highly recommended if you’re looking for a private one-bedroom apartment and a much better deal than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at in Amsterdam. It’s situated not far from the Central Station and the Damrak is pretty much perfect.

Overview of the Van Gogh Museum

As the name suggests, the Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to exhibiting and celebrating the work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the world’s most beloved artists.

It opened in 1973, three years after my first visit to Amsterdam and a year before my second visit to Amsterdam at the age of 18. I remember being so excited to tour the museum in 1974 when I was already a firm van Gogh fan.

Message at the entrance to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The museum is the most visited museum in the Netherlands, and one of the top most-visited museums in the world. And no wonder! The collection is organized across four floors and includes pieces from several of van Gogh’s contemporaries, including Monet, Gauguin, Pissarro and others.

The intention is to show van Gogh’s work in context and according to various themes, including self-portraits, early work, landscapes, and portraits.

Van Gogh provided hundreds of paintings and drawings over the course of just one decade, from 1880 to 1890. The collection at the Van Gogh Museum shows van Gogh as an artist intent on improving himself and his art while also being deeply engaged with the artistic developments of his day.

View of the Museum

A central atrium extends from the ground floor to the fourth floor and is dominated by a staircase and projections of details from van Gogh’s paintings that change regularly. The exhibition spaces run around three sides of the building.

Interior of the Van Gogh Museum with sunflowers projected

Self-Portraits of Van Gogh

The first room we entered featured a good collection of van Gogh’s self-portraits. I include two of my favorites. I like the contrast in how he handled the brushstrokes in these two works, and the intensity of his stare.

Self portrait of Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Self-Portrait, 1887
Self portrait of Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat

Van Gogh didn’t start painting seriously until he was 27 when he set to work to learn the rudiments of painting, mostly by studying the art of other artists. He was a great admirer of French 19th-century painters such as Jean-Francois Millet and Jules Breton who portrayed peasant life in the countryside.

Early Work

Most of van Gogh’s early work that he completed before he went to Paris and then finally to Provence use a very limited, even dreary palette. They have almost an Old Master feel to them.

Still Life with Open Bible

I particularly enjoyed a painting of his recently deceased father’s bible set next to van Gogh’s copy of La joie de vivre by Emile Zola–a ‘bible’ of modern life. The intention of the painting is to juxtapose the religious and traditional mores of his father with van Gogh’s more modern sensibilities. I was intrigued with how he rendered the open pages of the bible with rough brush strokes.

Bible and Zola painting by Van Gogh featured in The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Potato Eaters

One of van Gogh’s most famous works from his early period is The Potato Eaters. The darkness of the painting and the almost grotesque roughness of the figures exemplifies the harshness, even despair, of peasant life. Van Gogh wrote that a true peasant painting should smell of bacon, smoke, and steaming potatoes.

The Potato Eaters by Van Gogh featured in The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam
The Potato Eaters

Van Gogh in Paris

The gallery devoted to works that van Gogh created while living in Paris also include several works by his contemporaries, including Monet and Degas.

Nude Bathing by Degas

This nude by Degas is executed in numerous shades of pastel crayon and is one of several nudes that Degas exhibited in Paris and which van Gogh saw and greatly admired.

Nude bathing by Degas at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

View Seen Through a Balcony by Gustave Caillebotte

Another work by one of van Gogh’s contemporaries is the painting of a Paris street seen through a wrought iron balcony by Gustave Caillebotte. I’ve seen several of Caillebotte’s paintings at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and like his work.

View Seen Through a Balocny by Gustave Caillebotte

Café Table with Absinthe

And here’s a painting that van Gogh did while living in Paris. It depicts a glass of absinthe in a café. Already his palette is starting to lighten up with more pastel colors and looser brushstrokes.

Absinthe in a Paris Cafe by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Still Lifes – Red Cabbage and Garlic

I don’t associate van Gogh with still life paintings except, of course, for his flower paintings. This painting of red cabbages and onions is a revelation. I love the blue, red, and gold palette and the vibrancy of his brushstrokes. This still life is anything but still. Van Gogh was apparently intent on studying color contrasts in the painting–the complementary colors of yellow and blue reinforcing each other. He was well aware of color theory and how different color combinations work together to produce different effects and even emotions.

Cabbages and onions painting by Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Portraits

Several of van Gogh’s most famous paintings are portraits of people he met and interacted with–regular people such as a bar maid, a postman, and his landlord. The Van Gogh Museum includes a few of his portraits, although not any of the super famous ones.

Woman in the Bar

This painting of a solitary woman in a Paris café is a great example of how van Gogh used regular people he encountered every day as his models. The look on her face is so relatable–staring into the middle distance, lost in her own thoughts. Is she annoyed? Pensive? Or just bored?

Woman in a bar painting by Van Gogh in the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Van Gogh in the South of France

Van Gogh left bustling Paris for the south of France in late winter, arriving just as the trees were beginning to blossom.

The White Orchard

Here is one of three paintings he did not long after arriving in Arles. I’m entranced by the movement of the trees and the joyous freedom of the brushstrokes. It’s as if van Gogh’s been released from prison and poised on the edge of a whole new adventure, which indeed he was.

The White Orchard painting by Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Harvest

I felt very verklempt when I saw this painting, the very first van Gogh I ever saw and the first painting that launched me into a lifetime of loving art. I saw it at Expo 67 in Montreal when I was 11. A pretty uneventful childhood spent in Vancouver had not prepared me for modern art. I was blown away, first by The Harvest by van Gogh and then in the same exhibition at Expo 67 Lavender Mist by Jackson Pollock. It’s kinda no wonder I’ve ended up spending my life with a painter!

The Harvest makes me feel happy every time I see it. I’m not sure why. Perhaps it’s the bands of color and texture or maybe the balancing of the complementary colors of gold and blue. It just feels totally right. I look at it and I feel glad to be in the world.

The Harvest by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Bedroom

How many times have I seen this iconic piece in reproductions and on mugs and mousepads, puzzles and pens? And yet seeing it in “real life” is still a thrill. There’s something so endearing about a man who paints his humble little bedroom and manages to infuse it with such warmth and loneliness. And again, it’s his use of complementary yellows and blues that makes the painting so satisfying to look at.

Sunflowers

And another iconic favorite! Composed of just three shades of yellow, this Sunflowers (he painted several versions) glows like lemons in the sun. The sunflowers are in various stages of dying and yet the painting is beguilingly cheerful.

The Sunflowers by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Yellow House

And here’s yet another study in blues and yellows! Gosh, he’s good. Van Gogh manages to capture heat shimmering against the walls of the houses in Arles. He was hoping to turn his yellow house into an artist colony but only Gauguin came, and only stayed two months. Poor Vincent led a rather solitary existence.

The Yellow House by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

Japanese Influence

Van Gogh was a huge fan of Japanese art, as were many of his contemporaries, and several pieces were directly influenced by it.

Almond Blossoms

He painted this gorgeous, Japanese-print-inspired piece depicting almond blossoms against a blue sky to celebrate the birth of his nephew and namesake, Vincent–the son of his beloved brother, Theo. It’s almost abstract in its focus only on the blossoms and the sky with no other landscape elements. Van Gogh himself recognized the piece as one of his best–and he wasn’t wrong!

Almong Blossoms by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

The Sower

And finally, here is The Sower, one of van Gogh’s smallest and yet most well-known paintings. It has so much movement and energy. I can sense the man purposefully planting his seeds, completely trusting that they will come up in the spring. In this painting, the sky is green instead of blue which casts an eerie glow over the scene, giving it an almost foreboding look, although the sower seems oblivious to anything beyond the sowing of his seeds.

The Sower by Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam

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Practical Information

The Van Gogh Museum sells out many days in advance. Get your tickets online at least two weeks before you plan to travel to Amsterdam (possibly more during the busy summer months). Most visitors appear to get the audioguide which probably enhances the viewing experience. We did not, preferring to discuss the pieces as we looked at them. Every so often, you can discreetly eavesdrop on a guided tour. All of the ones I came across the morning we toured the museum were in English. Click one of the options below to purchase your ticket.

Tour Options

Conclusion

The Van Gogh Museum is well worth several hours of your time on even the shortest visit to Amsterdam. The only downside is that the world holds millions of van Gogh lovers and even with daily limits on visitors, a good chunk of them will be at the museum at the same time you are.

It does get tiring dodging the crowds, particularly if you enjoy taking photos of the pieces like I do and also read all the captions.

Most people are listening to audio guides and sometimes stand immobile for long periods in front of each painting. When several of them are congregated in front of a parituclarlty popular piece such as The Sunflowers, you’ll have to wait awhile to get your viewing turn.

But hey, it’s worth it. These are original paintings by Vincent Van Gogh! Artsy traveling doesn’t get much better. And when you’re done, you can tour no fewer than three gift shops (there may have been more) loaded to the gunnels with van Gogh schlock. On this trip I resisted, but I do own a very nice van Gogh pen that I purchased on a previous visit.

Have you visited the Van Gogh Museum? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Carol Cram in front of the National Gallery of Canada

National Gallery of Canada: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Canada, Destinations, Museums, North America Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on National Gallery of Canada: Best Bets for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 06:02 pm

If you love art and you’re visiting Ottawa, than you don’t want to miss the iconic National Gallery of Canada.

It is truly a national treasure, and one of the reasons why I was very pleased when my niece moved to Ottawa a few years ago.

Now I have an excuse to visit Ottawa more often, which means I can spend more time at the National Gallery!

Photo of the glass and steel façade of the National Gallery of Canada with a sign that reads “National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa's Crown Jewel,” and the website "artsytraveler.com" at the bottom.

To help you enjoy this wonderful gallery, I’ve put together a list of my 20 favorite pieces. These are just the tip of the iceberg, chosen from room after glorious room of masterpieces in the Canadian collection.

When you go, you’ll find many more pieces to marvel at.

Overview

The National Gallery of Canada is an excellent museum both inside and out.

Outside, the striking glass structure built in 1988 echoes the shape of the library on Parliament Hill that it overlooks.

Inside is a comprehensive collection of the best of the best of Canadian painting, particularly the Group of Seven and some notable moderns.

I visited the National Gallery of Canada with my daughter on a brilliant blue-sky day in early February after checking out Winterlude, eating my very first sugar shack maple-syrup lollilop (so delicious), and strolling past Parliament Hill (rated the #1 attraction in Ottawa on Trip Advisor!)

Two women smiling in front of the Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa, with snow covering the ground and cranes in the background.
On Parliament Hill in Ottawa on a crystal-cold February day

Location of the National Gallery of Canada

The National Gallery is a short walk from Parliament Hill along the Rideau Canal and quite close to the Byward Market.

The map below shows the location of the gallery along with a few landmarks such as the Parliament Buildings, the Rideau Centre, and the Ottawa Art Gallery (also worth a visit).

Map courtesy of Wanderlog, the best trip planner app on iOS and Android

Meet Maman

On your way into the gallery, you can’t help noticing the massive sculpture by Louise Bourgeois. Called Maman and created in 1999, the giant egg-carrying arachnid cast in bronze was inspired by Bourgeois’s own mom.

If you don’t much like spiders, you might want to walk quickly past Maman, but if you’re not too bothered, linger a while and take some striking pictures!

Woman in winter clothing standing in front of a large black spider sculpture outside the National Gallery of Canada, with snowy ground and the Notre-Dame Basilica in the background.
Carol & Maman

Touring the Canadian Collection

On my most recent visit to the National Gallery of Canada, I entered the main Canadian collection from the moderns and traversed backwards to the colonial and pre-colonial eras.

Usually, I start old and end new, but I found going backwards was a refreshing way to get a different perspective on the collection.

In addition to the large collection of Canadian art on the main floor, the National Gallery also includes a comprehensive collection of European and American art, and a large area devoted to contemporary work (most of which was kind of missable, to be honest).

Because I’m limiting this post to just 20 of my faves, I’m focusing only on the Canadian collection.

Ready? Let’s start with the moderns.

Modern art–as opposed to contemporary art–includes works from the mid 20th century until about the 1970s.

I’ve limited myself to five faves, presented in the order in which I came across them and listed by artist name rather than the name of the work.

Norval Morrisseau (called Copper Thunderhead)

Norval Morrisseau is credited with creating a completely new art movement inspired by non-European aesthetic conventions and iconography.

His work is a visual translation of an Anishnaabe worldview that is based on oral tradition, individual experience, and heritage.

I don’t think anyone could look at a painting by Morrisseau and not be enchanted. The vibrant colors and intriguing shapes, along with his original depictions of animals and people, are irresistible.

His work is immediately recognizable and so compelling. This painting was the first I gravitated to when I entered the room.

Vibrant painting by Norval Morrisseau with bold, colorful figures, birds, and an abstract eagle, rendered in Indigenous Woodland art style.
Norval Morrisseau (called Copper Thunderhead), Artist and Shaman between Two Worlds (1980)

Alex Colville

Alex Colville’s hyper-realistic paintings depict everyday life in the Maritimes. This piece is one of my favorites (and probably Colville’s most famous) because it beautifully captures the feel of a sunny, breezy day in summer.

Also, what is the woman looking at? Prince Edward Island? Another boat? Us? It’s enigmatic and yet relatable.

The painting depicts Colville in the background and his wife Rhoda in the foreground holding the binoculars.

Realistic painting by Alex Colville of a woman with binoculars looking toward the viewer, seated on a boat with a large white funnel and blue sky in the background.
Alex Colville, To Prince Edward Island (1965)

Art McKay

I was unfamiliar with Art McKay, although my husband, painter Gregg Simpson, has since told me that he met him back in the 1970s.

I included his work simply because I really liked it. It reminds me of a Pollock but with more fluid movement. Apparently, McKay was inspired to pursue abstraction after meeting the American abstract painter Barnett Newman in 1959.

In this painting, the limited palette (black, white, blue) produces a compellingly energetic work that drew me in. I wanted to sit with it for a while, to feel the paint swirling around me like clouds seen from outer space.

Abstract painting by Art McKay with a splatter design featuring textured black and white patches on a deep blue background.
Art McKay, Flat Blue, Flat White, Stove Enamel (1960)

Jean Paul Riopelle

The National Gallery of Canada includes several paintings by Jean Paul Riopelle in its collection, which is good news for me because I’m a big fan of his work.

This massive triptych is so fabulously joyous. Riopelle used a palette knife to apply paint directly to the surface using free and “automatic” gestures. He is known as the most ambitious artist in the Automatistes movement.

The title of the piece, “Pavane”, refers to the 16th century Spanish dance that is characterized by a stately and processional rhythm. And this painting fairly pulsates with rhythm.

I couldn’t do the piece justice with a single photograph and so took this video.

Jean Paul Riopelle, Pavane (1954)

Kathleen Munn

I had never heard of Kathleen Munn (1887-1974) whom I discovered was one of the leading modernist painters in Toronto in the 1920s.

I’m happy to see that the National Gallery is including more women in its collection. This appealing piece reminds me of a Franz Marc with its colorful shapes and abstracted landscape elements.

Painting with colorful, overlapping geometric shapes and lines in vivid hues of yellow, red, and blue, creating a dynamic composition.
Kathleen Munn, Untitled (1926-28)

Group of Seven & Friends at the National Gallery

The Group of Seven are justifiably famous for creating paintings that showed the Canadian landscape to the world back in the early 20th century.

Also known as the Algonquin School, the Group of Seven includes Frank Carmichael, Lawren Harris, A. Y. Jackson, Frank Johnston, Arthur Lismer, J. E. H. MacDonald, and Fred Varley. Other artists associated with the group are A. J. Casson, Tom Thomson, and Emily Carr.

The National Gallery devotes several rooms to showcasing the work of these artists. I’ve selected my favorites in no particular order, except that I start with my fave, Lawren Harris.

Lawren Harris

Lawren Harris is hands-down my most beloved Group of Seven artist. I particularly appreciate his later work when he moved away from landscape and toward a spiritually-inspired form of abstraction.

The painting below is an example of his later work when he was focusing on producing abstract art using geometric compositions with layered planes.

Geometric abstract painting with angular shapes in shades of blue, yellow, and red, depicting a stylized modern design.
Lawren Harris, Abstraction (1939)

This piece is one of Harris’s most famous. It depicts the north shore of Lake Superior and was painted in 1926 when Harris traveled to the region with fellow Group of Seven artist A. Y. Jackson.

Painting of a tall, jagged rock formation with beams of light streaming through clouds and a serene body of water in the background.
Lawren Harris, North Shore, Lake Superior (1926)

Call me a tourist (an artsy tourist), but I couldn’t resist taking a selfie in front of this most iconic of paintings.

Selfie of a woman wearing a red jacket in front of a Lawren Harris painting depicting a surreal, towering formation under a dramatic sky, displayed in a gallery.
Geeking out at the National Gallery of Canada

J. E. H. MacDonald

Apparently, this painting by J. E. H. MacDonald was panned by the critics when it was first exhibited in the 1920s. One critic even compared the painting to a huge tomato salad. That seems a bit harsh!

I was immediately drawn to this painting because of its exuberant depiction of fecundity. Some of the plants are decaying, some are blooming, and all are jumbled together in a glorious mess of in-your-face nature. It’s awesome!

A lush garden scene filled with colorful flowers, drooping sunflowers, and rich foliage, painted with expressive, textured brushwork.
J. E. H. MacDonald, The Tangled Garden (1916)

A. Y. Jackson

How much more Canadian can this get–red maple leaves in front of a rushing river. The painting is even called “The Red Maple” and is based on a sketch from nature produced along the Oxtongue River in Algonquin Park.

A landscape painting of a river with rapids flowing through a rocky scene, with bright red foliage in the foreground.
A. Y. Jackson, The Red Maple (1914)

Arthur Lismer

Is this iconically Ontario or what? To me, this depiction of Georgian Bay in a storm really captures the swirling clouds and choppy waves of the Great Lakes region. It really couldn’t be anywhere else in Canada!

A painting of a stormy sea with a twisted pine tree in the foreground, dramatic waves, and dark clouds in the sky.
Arthur Lismer, A September Gale, Georgian Bay (1921)

F. H. Varley

Same with this piece, which also depicts a storm on Georgian Bay. The Group of Seven artists are credited with being quintessentially Canadian, but really, they are at heart Ontarians.

As someone born and bred in British Columbia, I don’t particularly resonate with the Ontario landscape. However, I can appreciate it and also how its depiction by the Group of Seven artists showcased a corner of Canada’s vast landscape to the world.

A windswept coastal scene featuring a lone, twisted pine tree on a rocky outcrop, with turbulent water below and a moody sky.
F. H. Varley, Stormy Weather, Georgian Bay (1921)

Franklin Carmichael

Carmichael is my second favorite Group of Seven artist after Lawren Harris; I even have a print of one of his paintings in my office.

See how he smashes together landscape elements to produce a visual earthquake for the viewer. You can feel the seismic energy of the rain, the snow, and the wind in his paintings.

A painting of rolling hills and dramatic storm clouds with rays of sunlight breaking through, depicting a rugged, rural Canadian landscape.
Franklin Carmichael, Snow Clouds (1938)

Tom Thomson

Although he was not formally considered a member of the Group of Seven, the paintings by Tom Thomson are pretty much synonymous with most people’s idea of Group of Seven landscapes.

The National Gallery includes a large display of several dozen of Thomson’s small canvases. This video gives a good idea of the variety and quality of these exquisite gems.

Small paintings by Tom Thomson

Emily Carr

The other most famous artist who was not part of the Group of Seven, but definitely associated with them, is BC’s own Emily Carr. The National Gallery includes several of her pieces.

Most depict the brooding West Coast rainforest–a landscape I definitely resonate with since it’s the one I see outside my window as I write this!

A massive cedar tree is directly in my line of sight. It doesn’t take much imagination to see it as Carr did–a swirling, living mass of green energy thrusting skyward. Here are two of her pieces that I particularly liked.

A forest landscape painting with towering trees and swirling, textured brushstrokes, capturing the dense wilderness.
Emily Carr, Something Unnamed (1937)
A painting of totem poles standing in front of a dramatic landscape of mountains and water, painted in Carr’s signature post-impressionist style.
Emily Carr, Totems (1930)

Indigenous Art

The National Gallery does a good job of including several fabulous pieces of indigenous art in the collection of paintings by artists of mostly European descent.

Here are two pieces I admired.

A vibrant Indigenous mask adorned with bold red, blue, black, and white designs, featuring feathers and carved wings extending outward.
Marven G. Tallio, Raven Sun Transformation Mask (1966)
A traditional Indigenous wooden mask with intricate carvings of geometric and swirling patterns, displayed against a white background.
John Marston (QAP’U’LUQ), Spirit of the Forest – Mother Nature (2013)

Other Notable Pieces

While the stars of the show at the National Gallery are the paintings by the Group of Seven and the pieces of indigenous art, I saw some new-to-me pieces worth mentioning.

Here is yet another depiction of Lake Superior (there are many of them in the National Gallery!), which I liked because of the way in which the houses are all jumbled together in front of a massive landscape and because it’s painted by a woman artist I’d never heard of, Yvonne McKague Housser.

She painted this piece just a few years after Lawren Harris made the Lake Superior region famous.

A painting depicting a coastal scene with a small village nestled among rolling hills and a large, dark mountain in the background. The sky is filled with streaks of clouds and beams of light filtering through.
Yvonne McKague Housser, Rossport, Lake Superior (1929)

This piece from the 19th century of loggers clear-cutting the area where I now live resonated because of the interesting way in which the artist depicted the figures next to the logs.

The painting catches one moment during the workday. No one is posing; no one cares about posing. They are just getting on with a brutal day’s labor.

A historical painting of men in the process of logging, featuring several workers in hats and suspenders lifting and rolling large logs onto a cart, surrounded by fallen trees and horses in a dusty clearing.
George A. Reid, Logging (1888)

Yes, I’m a sucker for a good still life, and I particularly liked this piece by Quebec artist Joseph Légaré. Apparently, it’s the first still life executed in Canada, although I’m not sure how anyone can be 100% sure of that!

Anyway, it’s a nice painting.

A painting depicting a still life of red and white grape clusters, vines, and autumn leaves draped against a tree, with a scenic backdrop of distant hills and a golden sunset sky.
Joseph Légaré, Still-life with Grapes (1826)

And Finally – A Shout-Out to the Gift Shop

I love a good museum gift shop and the one at the National Gallery of Canada is right up there in my top ten all-time favorite museum gift shops.

There’s a wonderful selection of quality gift items, many with indigenous designs and the assurance that the money actually goes to the artists. Hopefully, that is true because in my last two trips to the National Gallery (February 2023 and December 2021), I purchased several indigenously-designed items there.

Definitely check it out after you’ve toured the National Gallery. I dare you to leave without buying something!

Practical Information

The National Gallery of Canada is located at 380 Sussex Drive in Ottawa (see #1 on the map at the beginning of this post). It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm (8 pm on Thursday), and closed on Monday. Adults cost $20; seniors $18; and 24 and under & students $10. Children under 11 are free.

Tours & Tickets in Ottawa

Here are some guided bus tours of Ottawa and options for tickets to some of Ottawa’s major museums with Tiqets.com to check out:

Looking for a good walking tour? I recommend GuruWalks. Here are the walks available in Ottawa:

Where to Stay in Ottawa

You’ll find lots of business-style hotels in downtown Ottawa in addition to the iconic Chateau Laurier. Here are a few suggestions for upscale choices within walking distance of the National Gallery of Canada the the Parliament Buildings.

  • Le Germain Hotel Ottawa: Close to Byward Market and a 2-minute walk from the Rideau Centre. Rooms are stylish and comfortable.
  • Lord Elgin Hotel: This is an oldie (I first stayed there in 1967 when I was very young!) and it’s certainly venerable and historic. A good choice if you want to be in the center of downtown Ottawa just steps from the Parliament Buildings.
  • Fairmount Chateau Laurier: If you’re feeling really flush and want to stay in one of Canada’s most iconic hotels, then treat yourself to the Chateau Laurier. You only live once!

Conclusion

The National Gallery of Canada’s permanent collection is stunning and extremely safe–some would say conservative. The focus is on the crowd-pleasing paintings by the Group of Seven (and hey, I was pleased), but there are very few paintings by more recent Canadian artists.

Still, it’s a great collection and worth a few hours of your time when visiting Ottawa, a city with its fair share of excellent museums.

Have you visited the National Gallery of Canada? What are some of your favorites? Share in the comments below.

Other Posts About Great Art Museums

Best Three Must-See Museums To Visit in Copenhagen

Arts & Culture, Denmark, Destinations, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Best Three Must-See Museums To Visit in Copenhagen

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 05:11 pm

The best three museums in Copenhagen are all world-class and worth a trip to Denmark’s fabulous capital city just to visit them.

There are several must-sees, but for this post, I focus on my three favorites: the Design Museum, the Danish National Museum, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, which is about thirty minutes north of Copenhagen (super easy to get to).

Armed with a Copenhagen Card, I ventured forth into the bustling streets of Copenhagen for three amazing Artsy Traveler experiences.

A colorful photo of Copenhagen’s iconic waterfront, featuring vibrant row houses and docked sailboats, overlaid with text promoting museums.

Highlights at a Glance

Location of Museums

The map below shows the location of the three museums described in this post: The Design Museum (#1), the Danish National Museum (#2) and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#3).

This map was created with Wanderlog, an itinerary planner on iOS and Android

Design Museum

Called the Designmuseum Danmark, this museum is absolutely stunning (see #1 on the map above).

Even if you’ve never in your life thought about design, put this museum on your list of must-sees while in Copenhagen. It tells the story of Danish design in room after room of artful displays of everything from furniture to objects to textiles to cutlery to posters, and a lot more.

I never wanted to leave, although after my visit, I did enjoy relaxing in the lovely courtyard and drinking lattes served by an enthusiastic young man. He was so pleased when we raved to him about how much we loved the museum.

A wide green lawn surrounded by ivy-covered historic buildings, framed by a row of evenly spaced trees under a clear blue sky.
Breezy and relaxing outdoor area at the Designmuseum Danmark
A person sitting at an outdoor cafe, wearing sunglasses and a relaxed expression, with a tree-lined garden and historic building in the background.
Gregg relaxing after touring the Designmuseum Danmark

The many rooms in the Designmuseum Danmark are arranged around themed exhibitions that run for quite a long time. For the most up-to-date information about current exhibitions, check the museum’s website.

Each display is accompanied by informative explanations in both Danish and English. Here’s an overview of the exhibitions I saw at the Designmuseum Danmark.

The Future is Present

The first exhibition we entered explored many of the ways in which designers around the world are finding solutions to challenges such as climate change, refugee flows, pandemics, and more.

How do we live together in communities, relate to each other, and interact with our environments? And what role does design play?

The many displays are both beautiful and thought-provoking. One of my favorites is this display of biodegradable urns. The pendant attached to the urn is planted so that loved ones can enjoy “the growing flowers and a tree in a place for conversation and remembrance.”

A row of pastel-colored ceramic vessels with matching decorative lids and strings, displayed on a textured surface in a modern design exhibit.
Biodegradable urns – a way to remember loved ones long after their passing

Wonder

This exhibition featured objects from some of the Designmuseum’s many collections. The exhibition tells the story of how a thing becomes an object in a private collection or in a museum. Each display is imaginatively presented and accompanied by excellent commentary.

You could spend a lot of time in the Designmuseum Danmark!

Here’s a sampling of some of the objects in the Wonder exhibition.

A nineteenth-century wooden chair with elegant, curved arms and a black leather seat, showcased in a softly lit display case.
Gorgeously designed chair from the 19th Century
A detailed Art Nouveau necklace featuring intricate enamel and gemstone details, with a central female figure framed by ornamental motifs.
Art nouveau necklace

The Magic of Form

Our favorite exhibition was The Magic of Form that took us on a fabulous journey through Danish design history. As anyone who has seen a piece of Danish modern furniture knows, Denmark and design go hand in hand.

The Danes have a knack for creating marvelously designed furniture that is both beautiful and practical.

The exhibition is massive–room after room of objects and pieces of furniture that follow the historical development of Danish design from around 1900 to the present. Every time I entered a new room, I gasped in wonder.

Not only were the objects themselves stunning, but also the way in which they were presented raised my experience of museum display techniques to new heights.

Here’s a selection of a few of the rooms and displays I wandered through.

A curated selection of iconic minimalist chairs and mobiles in a design museum, showcasing mid-century modern aesthetics with a focus on clean lines and organic shapes.
Danish Modern chairs imaginatively displayed
A display of modern ceramics and textiles, including sculptural blue vases, a textured clay vessel, and a patterned fabric wall hanging, illuminated by a contemporary pendant light.
Vases, a modern light fixture, and an abstract painting
A vibrant exhibit with colorful mid-century modern furniture and decor pieces, including a red chair, geometric shapes, and vintage light fixtures, all set on a multicolored pedestal display.
Chock full of color and form
A collection of unique, modernist furniture and sculptures displayed against a neutral gray backdrop, featuring abstract chairs, wooden carvings, and sculptural art forms.
Danish Modern run amok
Modern lamps at the Design Museum in Copenhagenlamps
Ultra modern Danish Modern chic
A contemporary design installation featuring a tall, orange structure with circular cutouts, paired with futuristic chairs and reflective backdrops.
Colorful sculpture

Other Exhibitions

When I toured the Designmuseum Danmark, I also saw two other exhibitions. The Table, Cover Thyself exhibition of plates and cultlery showed a myriad selection of table settings including plates, cutlery, tureens, figurines, and more. I particularly loved these two jugs.

A vibrant exhibit of a blue, cone-shaped coffee jug and a yellow, spherical jug displayed on a backlit shelf at the Designmuseum Danmark
Two beautifully designed coffee jugs

The Powerful Patterns exhibition explored patterns as an artform and included a wealth of textiles and costumes, including this beautiful dress.

A historical floral-patterned gown from the 18th century displayed on a mannequin at the Designmuseum Danmark, showcasing intricate stitching and design.
Dress with exquisite embroidery

The Designmuseum Danmark was one of the many highlights of my week in Copenhagen. I can hardly wait to return to see what new exhibitions are being featured.

And to top off my visit, I discovered that even a trip to the ladies room was fraught with design. Here’s what I saw when I look up from where I was, um, sitting:

A unique yellow translucent chair displayed from below, mounted on a ceiling in the Designmuseum Danmark.
Chair suspended over a toilet stall at the Designmuseum Danmark

The Danes have a sense of humor for sure!

Design Museum Practical Information

The Designmuseum Danmark is open from 10 am to 6 pm Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday). Admission is 130 DKK for adults, but you can use your Copenhagen Card (see below for details). The museum is located at Bredgade 68 and makes a great stop on the way to see the Little Mermaid in the Copenhagen harbor.

The National Museum of Denmark

The Nationalmuseet (#2 on the map at the top of this post) is another major museum in which you could get lost for hours. In fact, I ran out of steam after touring the awesome collection of prehistory and Viking artifacts and didn’t see all the museum has to offer.

All the more reason to return!

But even if you, like me, only manage to tour half the museum, make sure it’s the half that includes the Danish prehistory and Viking collections. Each display is cleverly mounted and includes interesting commentary in Danish and English.

Danish Prehistory Collection

I have a soft spot for prehistory museums and monuments, and visit them whenever I can. Check out my post on seven of my fave prehistory spots in Europe. Given my predelictions, I naturally made a beeline for the Danish Prehistory collection.

What a treasure trove!

The exhibition features objects made prior to 1050 AD and extending way, way back into the misty mists of time (like 6000 BCE!) and includes unique archaeological treasures like the Trundholm Chariot of the Sun, the Egtved girl’s grave, the Gundestrup cauldron, the Hoby tomb, and more.

Twenty-four rooms arranged in a large square enclosing the gardens take you from the earliest years up to the Viking era.

I was surprised and enthralled by the age of many of the prehistoric objects in the first several rooms. A highlight is the skeleton of a massive bull elk that perished in a bog over 8500 years ago.

A reconstructed elk skeleton with large antlers on display, with a projected forest background at the National Museum of Denmark.
The Tåderup Elk at the Danish National Museum

Here are two of my favorite displays, but there were many more. You could spend a very long time in the Danish prehistory rooms.

A museum exhibit featuring small, carved amber figurines in various shapes, such as animals, labeled as 'Magical Patterns
Polished figures from prehistoric grave sites
A collection of ancient bronze helmets and horn accessories displayed in a glass case, highlighting intricate detailing and historical craftsmanship.
Viksø helmets from the Bronze Age

Viking Exhibition

Eventually, you’ll arrive at the Viking exhibition to be confronted by a model of a full-size Viking ship (and it’s really big!). The ship dominates the large room that includes displays that trace Denmark’s huge contribution to world history.

At one time, Vikings controlled vast swathes of Europe, extending all the way to North America. A wall-size map at the beginning of the exhibition shows how far their influence extended.

A museum display of traditional Viking-era clothing, including a red dress and a white tunic with fur-lined cloaks, shown on mannequins at the National Museum of Denmark.
Sartorial elegance of the Vikings; a portion of the ship model is in the background

The Danes are very proud of their Viking heritage, as evidenced by the care they’ve taken to mount such a spectacular exhibition.

The Raid Experience

Included in the Viking exhibition is a new multi-media experience called “The Raid” that invites guests to “hop aboard and join the Vikings on an adventurous raid.”

“The Raid” isn’t actually a ride. You walk through a series of rooms, stopping in each to watch a 360-degree projection accompanied by commentary in English. The projections tell the exciting story of Björn Ironside, the legendary Viking who led 62 ships on an ill-fated journey to Rome.

Along the way, they plunder and pillage as Vikings are wont to do, but never actually make it to Rome. They do make it into the Mediterranean, however. Unfortunately, on their way out again, they are almost destroyed by large firebombs raining down upon them from the cliffs above the Strait of Gibraltar.

Poor Bjorn perishes and very few ships make it back to Denmark. So ends Bjorn’s raid, only to be revived 1500-odd years later for tourists to wonder at.

A poster from the National Museum of Denmark featuring two men in Viking costumes. The text reads, 'Join the Vikings on Raid!' in English and Danish.
Poster for “The Raid” at the Danish National Museum

What Else to See at the National Museum

The museum includes exhibitions from Denmark’s Middle Ages and Renaissance, the histories of Denmark, an antique collection, the Children’s Museum, Voices from the Colonies, and a Coin and Medal Collection in addition to special exhibitions.

Everything is state-of-the-art, a real testament to recent advances in museumology.

I need to go back!

A picturesque canal in Copenhagen, lined with boats and historic buildings, with a stone bridge in the distance under a bright, partly cloudy sky.
On the way to the National Museum of Denmark

National Museum of Denmark Practical Information

The National Museum of Denmark is located in the Prince’s Palace at Ny Vestergade 10. It’s within walking distance from Nyhavn where I recommend you stay. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday) and covered by the Copenhagen Card.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (#3 on the map at the top of this post) is about a 30-minute train ride north of Copenhagen. It’s world-renowned as one of Europe’s best modern art museums, and therefore a must-visit for the Artsy Traveler!

That said, I confess that I found the exhibitions a tad underwhelming. However, the setting of the museum on the North Sea and the many outdoor sculptures are fabulous and well worth the trip.

The food in the restaurant overlooking the water is also excellent!

Founded by Knud W. Jensen to house Danish modern art, the museum opened in 1958. Within a few years, the focus shifted from featuring predominantly Danish art to becoming an international museum that showcased internationally renowned artists.

Check what exhibitions are on, but even if they don’t appeal, visit the museum anyway. It makes for a lovely morning out from Copenhagen. You reach it by train (covered by the Copenhagen Card) followed by a pleasant 20-minute stroll along a suburban road to the museum.

After visiting the exhibitions, head outside where the real stars of the museum are located. Here’s a selection of sculptures dotted all around the large property.

A person standing next to a large, abstract bronze sculpture with rounded shapes, set on a stone-paved platform with a view of the sea in the background.
A collection of marble-like spherical sculptures of varying sizes and colors, displayed on a green lawn near a glass building surrounded by trees.
An outdoor seating area at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, with tables and chairs overlooking a grassy lawn and waterfront sculptures, including a colorful mobile and black angular forms.
A modern abstract black metal sculpture with fluid, interconnected shapes, displayed in a grassy area under tree cover.
A geometric granite sculpture consisting of a circular form with a diagonal cut, placed on a square pedestal in a cobblestone and wooded outdoor area.
A whimsical bronze sculpture resembling a humanoid figure with large, circular eyes, set in an outdoor garden surrounded by lush greenery.

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art Practical Information

The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art is located in Humlebæk about 30 minutes north of Copenhagen. Catch the train from the main train station and then walk about twenty minutes to the museum. If you have a car, you can drive there. Ample parking is provided. The museum is open Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 22:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 to 18:00 (closed Monday) and covered by the Copenhagen Card.

Purchase the Copenhagen Card

Not all tourist cards are great value, but the Copenhagen Card is definitely worth purchasing. It covers so much of what you’ll want to see in Copenhagen, including all three of the museums covered in this post along with dozens more museums (there are a LOT of museums in Copenhagen), attractions such as Tivoli Gardens (worth a visit to see the lights in the evening), and all your transportation in and around Copenhagen.

You can use it on the local subways and on trains that go farther afield to popular destinations such as Frederiksburg Castle, Kronburg Castle, and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. It truly is a bargain and a major time-saver.

I almost never buy city cards, but I’m very glad I purchased the Copenhagen Card. Having it saved me loads of time, made sightseeing a pleasure, and took all the stress out of riding public transit. It’s a winner!

Click the image below to purchase the Copenhagen card.

Copenhagen Tours & Tickets

Check out more tours and things to do in marvelous Copenhagen with Get Your Guide.

You can also purchase tickets directly through Tiqets.com

Copenhagen Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Copenhagen!

Where to Stay in Copenhagen

If you’re looking for lots of space in the atmospheric Nyhavn area, you can’t go wrong with this two-bedroom apartment located in one of the colorful houses right on the harbor.

Another good option is the stylishly upscale Phoenix Copenhagen, also in the Nyhavn area. The hotel is pretty high end price-wise, but the staff are friendly, the marble lobby is gorgeous and the restaurant downstairs serves hearty food, particularly welcome on the cold and rainy night I stayed.

Conclusion

Have you visited museums in Copenhagen? Which ones did you visit and recommend? Please share in the comments below.

Here are more posts about awesome museums to visit in England and Europe:

Exterior of the National Gallery in London

What to See at London’s National Gallery: The Best of the Best

Arts & Culture, Destinations, England, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on What to See at London’s National Gallery: The Best of the Best

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 06:51 pm

If you love art and you’re London-bound, than you must visit the National Gallery.

I love this place and pop in every chance I get. The National Gallery in London is small enough to enjoy in a few hours without getting exhausted (unlike the Louvre in Paris), and yet big enough to include an astonishing collection of masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the Impressionists.

Also, London’s National Gallery is free, which is amazing considering that every other major art museum in Europe charges at least 20 to 30 Euros.

Pinterest graphic with the text "National Gallery London: The Best of the Best" over a picture of the exterior of the Natoinal Gallery at Trafalgar Square in London, England.

Five Favorites at a Glance

Here are my top five favorites pieces at the National Gallery (and it was a tough choice)!

Overview

On my latest trip to London, I dropped by the National Gallery fairly late in the day and so only had an hour to spend before it closed. An hour is not enough, but if it’s all you have, you won’t be disappointed.

I wandered in a trance from room to room, eyes tearing up as every turn brought so many favorites before me. The National Gallery includes an impressive number of western art’s biggest biggies.

In this post, I showcase what I consider the must-see paintings at the National Gallery–the best of the best if you will.

Note that I’ve downloaded images from the National Gallery’s website, which allows display of its images for personal use, including blogs. I was glad to discover this because my own photographs are sometimes a bit crooked and ill-lit! Thank you, National Gallery.

The National Gallery’s medieval collection includes pieces by most of the major painters, including Giotto, Duccio, Lorenzetti, and Lippi.

One of the reasons why I love medieval Italian painting is because of how the artists depicted buildings. While perspective is generally lacking, the artists of this period captured the essence of medieval towns as a hodgepodge of arches and towers built at varying angles and heights.

The arrangements communicate the feeling of a medieval town, rather than just a realistic representation, that still rings true today when you visit places like Siena and San Gimignano in Tuscany.

The Healing of the Man Born Blind by Duccio

I chose this painting because of how Duccio di Buoninsegna depicted the buildings behind the people. I love how the pastel colors of the buildings in the background contrast with the more vibrant robes of the central figures.

This painting is a small panel–one of 54 minutely detailed narrative scenes that was included in Duccio’s Maestà.

A massive work, Maestà is considered one of the most ambitious altarpieces ever created. Most of the rest of the altarpiece is on display in the Museo dell’opera del Duomo in Siena.

Read about it in my post about top cathedrals in Europe in which I include Siena Cathedral adjacent to the Museo. If you’re in Siena, the Museo dell’opera del Duomo (the museum of the cathedral) is a must-see.

When the Maestà was completed in 1311, it was carried through the streets of Siena. One of the characters in my novel The Towers of Tuscany reminiscences about seeing the procession when she was a young girl.

Duccio The Healing of the Man born Blind 1307/8-11 Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 x 46.7 cm National Gallery in London
Duccio The Healing of the Man born Blind 1307/8-11 Egg tempera on wood, 45.1 x 46.7 cm Bought, 1883 NG1140 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1140

A Group of Four Poor Clares by Ambrogio Lorenzetti

Lorenzetti was active in Siena during the 1300s and likely died of the plague that hit Siena in 1348. I really like his work and so was delighted to discover this piece in the National Gallery.

It’s a fragment of a fresco that was discovered under whitewash in 1855. I love the realism of the faces and their pensive expressions.

Ambrogio Lorenzetti A Group of Four Poor Clares possibly about 1336-40 Fresco with areas of secco, 70.4 × 63.4 cm at the National Gallery in London
Ambrogio Lorenzetti A Group of Four Poor Clares possibly about 1336-40 Fresco with areas of secco, 70.4 × 63.4 cm Bought, 1878 NG1147 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1147

Italian Renaissance at the National Gallery

So many masterpieces, so little time! Take your time when you get to the rooms containing some of the world’s most famous artists from the Italian Renaissance, most notably Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. Have a seat and soak up the Renaissance vibe.

The Burlington House Cartoon by Leonardo da Vinci

I remember the first time I saw this piece when I was student at Reading University in the 1970s. Reading was only 40 minutes by train from London so I often went up to enjoy the art museums.

The Burlington House Cartoon is a large drawing made in preparation for a painting and is the only surviving large-scale drawing done by da Vinci.

I like the contrast of rough and finished in the drawing. Some parts, such as the face of Mary, are beautifully detailed and evocative while others, such as the hand of Saint Anne (Mary’s mother) pointing heavenward, are barely sketched in.

Exhibited in a small, dimly lit room, the piece just glows.

Leonardo da Vinci The Burlington House Cartoon about 1499-1500 Charcoal (and wash?) heightened with white chalk on paper, mounted on canvas, 141.5 x 104.6 cm at the National Gallery in London
Leonardo da Vinci The Burlington House Cartoon about 1499-1500 Charcoal (and wash?) heightened with white chalk on paper, mounted on canvas, 141.5 x 104.6 cm Purchased with a special grant and contributions from the Art Fund, The Pilgrim Trust, and through a public appeal organised by the Art Fund, 1962 NG6337 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6337

Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo daVinci

This beautiful painting is one of the most famous in the National Gallery, and a rare example of one of da Vinci’s large-scale paintings.

The techniques he used were ground-breaking at the time, but I think the enduring appeal of the work is because of the expression on the Virgin Mary’s face.

She looks a bit careworn and tired–the image of a mother responsible for the children in her care. Her outstretched hand almost seems to come out of the painting to calm a fretful child.

Leonardo da Vinci, The Virgin of the Rocks, about 1491/2-9 and 1506-8, Oil on poplar, thinned and cradled, 189.5 x 120 cm, Bought, 1880, NG1093, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1093

Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli

I’ve been a fan of Botticelli’s work since discovering it while taking a first-year History of Art course in 1974.

I’d forgotten that Venus and Mars–one of Botticelli’s most famous paintings–is in the National Gallery, and gasped out loud when I entered the roomful of Botticellis. Fortunately, no one noticed.

There’s so much to love about this painting! The look on Venus’s face as she coolly regards the blissed- out Mars is priceless. She’s clearly not all that impressed!

And then there are the four mischievious nymphs trying to wake up Mars. One of them is even wearing his helmet.

Sandro Botticelli Venus and Mars about 1485 Tempera and oil on poplar, 69.2 x 173 at the National Gallery in London
Sandro Botticelli Venus and Mars about 1485 Tempera and oil on poplar, 69.2 x 173.4 cm Bought, 1874 NG915 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG915

Flemish Masterpieces at the National Gallery

The National Gallery is particularly well endowed with masterpieces from the northern Renaissance. You’ll find several pieces by Rembrandt, two gems by Vermeer, and a famous van Dyck, among many others.

The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

This portrait of Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao di Arnolfini and his wife is one of the most famous paintings in the National Gallery, and is considered one of the most famous and intriguing paintings in the world.

There are so many details to examine, and all have significance. For more information about the painting (which was completed in 1434) and why it’s considered so great, check out this analysis on YouTube.

Jan van Eyck The Arnolfini Portrait 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm at the National Gallery in London
Jan van Eyck The Arnolfini Portrait 1434 Oil on oak, 82.2 x 60 cm Bought, 1842 NG186 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG186

A Woman Bathing in a Stream by Rembrandt

This is such a tender, beautiful painting by Rembrandt, and a bit of a change from his many portraits and self-portraits.

The woman may be Hendrickje Stoffels, who came into Rembrandt’s household to look after his infant son after his first wife, Saskia, died. Hendrickje and Rembrandt became lovers but were unable to marry.

There is a universality about the intimate moment caught in the painting that resonates with anyone who has ever taken off their shoes on a hot day to wade in a cool stream.

Rembrandt A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?) at the National Gallery in London
Rembrandt A Woman bathing in a Stream (Hendrickje Stoffels?) 1654 Oil on oak, 61.8 x 47 cm Holwell Carr Bequest, 1831 NG54 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG54

A Young Woman Seated at a Virginal by Johannes Vermeer

The word exquisite always come to mind when I look at a painting by Vermeer. 

Detailed and delicate, this painting shows us a moment in time. The young girl is just about to play the virginal, but someone or something has distracted her. Whatever it is, she doesn’t look too thrilled.

One of the ways to appreciate just why Vermeer is considered so great is to look at paintings by his contemporaries. Most depict similar subjects, but you can tell right away that there’s something different about the Vermeers.

The brushwork is finer, the light more skillfully depicted, the backgrounds more perfectly rendered. Vermeer didn’t paint many pieces during his lifetime, but what he did paint was pretty amazing.

hannes Vermeer A Young Woman seated at a Virginal about 1670-2 Oil on canvas, 51.5 x 45.5 cm at the National Gallery in London
Johannes Vermeer A Young Woman seated at a Virginal about 1670-2 Oil on canvas, 51.5 x 45.5 cm Salting Bequest, 1910 NG2568 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG2568

A Boy and A Girl with a Cat and an Eel by Judith Leyster

I was super excited to come across this painting by Judith Leyster, who has been getting more recognition in recent years. The boy and the girl are definitely up to no good!

Judith Leyster A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel about 1635 Oil on oak, 59.4 × 48.8 cm at the National Gallery in London
Judith Leyster A Boy and a Girl with a Cat and an Eel about 1635 Oil on oak, 59.4 × 48.8 cm Bequeathed by C.F. Leach, 1943 NG5417 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG5417

The Four Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water by Joachim Beuckelaer

I had never seen these paintings before. They are not particularly famous, but they are interesting. I couldn’t stop looking at them.

Each painting depicts food according to its relationship to one of the four elements.

In the Air painting, birds are being plucked and sold. Some impressive-looking vegetables are on display in the Earth painting. The Fire painting depicts game being butchered and roasted, and finally many different varieties of fish are ready for market in the Water painting.

The expressions on the faces of the people in the paintings are blank and dour. No one looks like they are enjoying themselves!

But the colors and textures of the foods are so incredibly real. They almost look like they are about to spill out of the paintings onto the floor of the gallery.

Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Air 1570 Oil on canvas, 158 × 216 cm at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Air 1570 Oil on canvas, 158 × 216 cm Bought, 2001 NG6587 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6587
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Earth 1569 Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Earth 1569 Oil on canvas, 158 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6585 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6585
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Fire 1570 Oil on canvas at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Fire 1570 Oil on canvas, 158.2 × 215.4 cm Bought, 2001 NG6588 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6588
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Water 1569 Oil on canvas, 158.1 × 214.9 cm at the National Gallery in London
Joachim Beuckelaer The Four Elements: Water 1569 Oil on canvas, 158.1 × 214.9 cm Bought, 2001 NG6586 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6586

Baroque Paintings at the National Gallery

Boy Bitten by a Lizard by Caravaggio

In a room full of great paintings, I was instantly drawn to this small painting by Caravaggio of a boy being bitten by a lizard.

The expression on his face is so real and so relatable. The painting was completed in Rome in the mid-1590s and was considered innovative for the time. Apparently, it was unusual for a late-16th-century painting to show such a moment of action.

Caravaggio, however, wasn’t worried about following artistic conventions. He painted directly on the canvas from live models

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Boy bitten by a Lizard about 1594-5 Oil on canvas, 66 x 49.5 cm at the National Gallery in London
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio Boy bitten by a Lizard about 1594-5 Oil on canvas, 66 x 49.5 cm Bought with the aid of a contribution from the J. Paul Getty Jr Endowment Fund, 1986 NG6504 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6504

British Painting at the National Gallery

Room 34 at the National Gallery contains some of the most beloved paintings by British artists, including William Turner and  John Constable (two of my faves).

The Fighting Temeraire by William Turner

My father bought a print of this painting when he first visited London in the 1960s. It was probably the first real painting I’d ever seen, and I remember loving to look at it when I was a child.

When I saw it again in the National Gallery, I couldn’t help feeling emotional since my father has been gone for several years now and my mother passed quite recently.

Turner’s painting shows the final journey of the Temeraire, a warship that had played a distinguished role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, but by 1838 was ready for the scrap heap.

It’s a poignant scene in its depiction of the age of sail giving way to the age of steam. Turner, of course, was most famous for his depiction of light, which is on full display in the magnificent sunset depicted in the painting.

The painting is one of Turner’s most famous and duly celebrated, but for me it will always remind me of my childhood home.

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Fighting Temeraire 1839 Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 121.6 cm at the National Gallery in London

Joseph Mallord William Turner The Fighting Temeraire 1839 Oil on canvas, 90.7 x 121.6 cm Turner Bequest, 1856 NG524 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG524

The Hay Wain by John Constable

This bucolic painting by John Constable is one of the most famous British painting. It depicts the millpond at Flatford on the River Stour about about a mile from Constable’s birthplace at East Bergholt, Suffolk.

it really is quintessentially English–an idealized view of the countryside and a time long past. And look at the sky! Constable was a master of clouds.

John Constable, The Hay Wain, 1821, Oil on canvas, 130.2 x 185.4 cm, Presented by Henry Vaughan, 1886, NG1207, https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG1207

Impressionists and Post-Impressionists at the National Gallery

The rooms displaying paintings by the Impressionists and post-Impressionists are generally mobbed at the National Gallery. So many famous pieces are included! 

Stand in the middle of one of the rooms and rotate slowly. If you’re a fan of this era and style of art, you’ll likely recognize just about every piece in the room, from the iconic Sunflowers by van Gogh to the massive painting of The Bathers by Seurat and the sublime waterlilies by Monet.

I’d forgotten just how rich the National Gallery’s collection of French Impressionists is and spent my first few minutes in the rooms exclaiming (to myself), they have that? and that one? oh, my, and that one too? This is incredible!

I had to sit down a few times just to collect myself. I’ve picked out four of my favorites (but it was a tough choice).

Waterlilies by Monet

This luscious painting dominates one entire wall and is hard to get a full-on look at thanks to the throngs of like-minded visitors standing in front of it.

This piece is one that was not included in the collection of large waterlily paintings in Musėe de l’Orangerie in Paris (check out my round-up of Nine of the Best Small Museums in Paris for more about the Monets in the Orangerie).

The waterlily paintings in the Orangerie include details of trees and foliage that anchor the viewer and give them a sense of location. But this painting in the National Gallery is completely free-flowing.

You have no idea where in the pond you are; you’re immersed in a shimmering world of greens and pinks and purples. No photograph can do it justice; you need to stand in front of the real thing and just drink it in.

Claude Monet Water-Lilies after 1916 Oil on canvas, 200.7 x 426.7 cm at the National Gallery in London
Claude Monet Water-Lilies after 1916 Oil on canvas, 200.7 x 426.7 cm Bought, 1963 NG6343 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6343

Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh

This cheerful painting of sunflowers exuberantly clumped together in a plain vase signed by “Vincent” is probably the most famous of van Gogh’s works. It appears on a dizzying array of merchandise in the gift shop, from mugs to cards to t-shirts to umbrellas.

Why is this painting so famous? I think because it looks like sunshine on canvas. The varying shades of yellow and gold that van Gogh uses perfectly capture the feeling of a hot day in late summer when some sunflowers are still in bloom, others have just passed their peak and are starting to wilt, and still others have lost their petals completely.

This version of Sunflowers is one of five, the other four being on display in art museums around the world including the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam (always worth a visit!).

Apparently, van Gogh made the paintings to decorate his house in Arles in preparation for a visit from fellow artist Paul Gauguin.

Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers 1888 Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm at the National gallery in London
Vincent van Gogh Sunflowers 1888 Oil on canvas, 92.1 x 73 cm Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924 NG3863 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3863

Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat

The painting depicts regular people enjoying a day off on the banks of the Seine, the factories they work in visible in the distance, their focus on the feel of warm grass and cool water.

It’s a snapshot in time. Each person is immersed in his own thoughts; each is alone, the exhaustion of a week at work still heavy on their shoulders even on their day off.

This massive painting is famous for its use of pointillism and was Seurat’s first major composition. He painted it at the age of 24 to make his mark at the official Salon in the spring of 1884. Unfortunately, the painting was rejected!

Georges Seurat Bathers at Asnières 1884 Oil on canvas, 201 × 300 cm at the National Gallery in London
Georges Seurat Bathers at Asnières 1884 Oil on canvas, 201 × 300 cm Bought, Courtauld Fund, 1924 NG3908 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG3908

Surprised! by Rousseau

This painting by Rousseau was new to me, and I just loved it!

Look at the expression on the tiger’s face! Has he been frightened by the flashes of lightning and the sudden wind blowing the jungle foliage all over the place? Who knows? But it’s such a wonderfully lush moment.

Surprised! was the first of about 20 jungle paintings that Rousseau produced. His jungles are entirely imaginary; Rousseau never left France.

He was an amateur artist who faced a fair bit of ridicule from the art establishment, but now Rousseau is considered a pioneer of “naïve art.”

Henri Rousseau Surprised! 1891 Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm at the National Gallery in London
Henri Rousseau Surprised! 1891 Oil on canvas, 129.8 x 161.9 cm Bought, with the aid of a substantial donation from the Hon. Walter H. Annenberg, 1972 NG6421 https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/NG6421

Visiting the National Gallery

The National Gallery is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and on Fridays until 9 pm. It’s located on Trafalgar Square in central London and entry is free, although donations are welcomed.

To get to the National Gallery, hop on the tube and get off at either Charing Cross or Leicester Square.

Eating at the National Gallery

The eateries at the National Gallery include. Ochre is an upscale cocktail bar open for lunch through dinner where you can also partake of the Ochre Afternoon Tea (served daily from 3 to 4:30 pm). For a quick bite, check out Muriel’s Kitchen, a self-serve café offering a casual menu.

Shopping at the National Gallery

You’ll find two shops full of all the postcards, art souvenirs, and high quality prints you could want. Every purchase made at the gift shop raises money to maintain the National Gallery.

Tours of the National Gallery

Every so often, I spring for a guided tour of an art museum and I’m never disappointed. Here’s a guided National Gallery highlights tour that includes afternoon tea (how very British!).

Staying in London

Although London is not very budget-friendly, I’ve usually managed to find good places to stay right in the center of the action.

On my latest trip to London, I stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel, a well-located and excellent deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London.

The Wilde ApartHotel just off the Strand is within walking distance of the National Gallery and also most of the West End theaters.

Conclusion

Have you visited the National Gallery? What are some of your favorites? Share in the Comments below. Want more posts about art museums? Here are some posts about great art museums in Europe that I’ve visited and recommend:

Exhibit at MONA: an ancient Egyptian sarcophagus adorned with intricate hieroglyphics and illustrations of deities, displayed in a dark exhibit space. A brightly lit ornate shrine is visible in the background.

Why Visit the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania

Arts & Culture, Australasia, Destinations, Museums Artsy Traveler Leave a Comment on Why Visit the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania

Last updated on December 27th, 2024 at 05:42 pm

Written by Linda Moore for Artsy Traveler

Overview

If you’ve made the trek to Hobart, Tasmania, put a visit to the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) at the top of your list of things to do.

Despite its remote location, MONA is a world-renowned art destination—and a must-visit for the artsy traveler.

As the name of the museum suggests, you’ll discover galleries full of an eclectic variety of art from ancient Egypt to the 21st century.

In this post, find out about the origins of MONA and how you get there, along with guest poster Linda Moore’s personal recommendations about what to see.

What is MONA?

The creation of professional gambler turned art collector David Walsh, MONA will appeal to art lovers interested in experiencing a stunning and occasionally subversive collection of old and new art coupled with impressive architecture.

Walsh, a controversial figure with an impressive bank account, built Australia’s largest privately owned museum and art gallery for his own amusement and to provide a landing place for art that interests him. Almost everything about MONA is different from other museums.

Check out the MONA website and read the content. Even ordinary information such as how to visit MONA is presented with a quirky twist.

MONA’s Collection

The essence of MONA is not its eccentricities, but its private collection of artwork, and Walsh does not disappoint. MONA displays pieces from a full range of the history of art.

This eclectic art museum includes antiquities from ancient Egypt, along with pieces from the European Renaissance, and Pacific Islanders.

You’ll find an Egyptian sarcophagus and Asian scrolls along with modern art such as Georgia O’Keefe’s flowers and provocative contemporary art pieces such as Matthew Barney’s genitalia.

Arriving at MONA

If possible, arrange to arrive at the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) by water.

The 25-minute ferry ride from Hobart in Tasmania brings into dramatic focus a clifftop complex that rivals any of the major museums of the world.

You can choose two options for your ride–Standard or Posh Pit. The website describe the Posh Pit option as:

Escape the riff-raff in the ferry’s private lounge, bar and deck. Includes complimentary bevvies, tiny food and inflated egos.

See what I mean about the museum’s unique approach to organizing the visitor experience?

Climbing to the Museum

To reach the museum entrance from the ferry dock, you’ll need to climb 99 steps. There is also access via tunnel for people with mobility issues. The website advises you to inform staff before you arrive if you quaify.

If you wish to avoid the ferry ride, you can travel to the museum by car. Located on the Berriedale peninsula, MONA is a 20-minute drive from Hobart.

MONA Exterior: A wide view of the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania, showcasing its geometric and industrial architecture with rust-colored and gray panels, nestled in a natural landscape by the water.
Photo by Barrylb, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Why I Love MONA

MONA is an art gallery that draws me and others who travel the world to see art because we want to discover artists we don’t know about–artists whose original ideas are not derivative of the major art scenes in New York or Berlin.

Similar to traveling to the Venice Biennale or Documenta, a trip to MONA exposes you to new art and new ideas.

For example, Azerbaijani artist Faig Ahmed’s woven fiber pieces use an ancient art form in a contemporary way. His work appeared in the Venice Biennale and later was added to a show at MoMA in New York.

But how many of us know about art in Azerbaijan?

Rug at MONA: A red and intricately patterned carpet hangs on a black wall, flowing down and melting into colorful, wavy strands that pool onto the floor, creating a surreal and striking visual.
Azerbaijani woven fibre piece

David Walsh’s collection spans the globe and his curators are always on the hunt for fresh ideas from artists whose works may never be seen by curators from big international institutions.

MONA’s Installations

The site-specific installations at MONA are the showstoppers.

Examples include Yayoi Kusama’s room with dizzy dots and the two-story waterfall by German artist Julius Popp that spills text generated by 128 computer-controlled nozzles streaming words from real Google searches.

Yayoi Kusama Installation at MONA: A room filled with large, vibrant yellow spheres covered in black polka dots, reflected infinitely in mirrored walls. A person stands in the foreground, holding a bag and observing the immersive artwork.
Yayoi Kusama Installation

Generous budgets and plenty of space provide artists with creative opportunities that may not be possible in large city museums.  

For example, an $18 million tunnel completed in 2019 houses works by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who spent time in prison for his art.

The Divine Comedy, a light installation of hell, purgatory, and paradise by one of my favorites, Chilean-born artist Alfredo Jaar. 

What Else to See a MONA

MONA is more than just art galleries. The complex includes restaurants, bars, a winery, a gift shop and even accommodations.

Dining and Staying at MONA

There are several dining options at MONA. You can enjoy lunch at the Source Restaurant or Faro Bar & Restaurant.

If you want to stay, there are accommodation pavilions, described as “super flash luxury dens on the River Derwent” that are each named after an influential Australian artist or architect.

MONA Gift Shop

The MONA Gift Shop is eclectic as the collection. If you’re not able to go to MONA in person, browse the gift shop online.

Moorilla Winery

MONA is also home to one of Tasmania’s oldest vineyards. In the museum’s bars and restaurants, you can sample small-batch, premium Moorilla wines  made from fruit grown on the Moorilla estate. 

You can also visit the cellar and partake of wine tastings.

When to Visit MONA

Schedule at least a day-long visit so you can view the James Turrell light pieces like Pharos (named after the lighthouse in Alexandria) inside a tunnel and then remain until sunset to sit outside under Turrell’s Amarna project that glows and changes as the sunlight in the Southern hemisphere disappears.

Stunning!

Arnama by James Tyrrell at MONA: A square aperture in the ceiling, framed with vibrant purple lighting, revealing the pale blue sky above. The scene is surrounded by the silhouettes of trees, creating a serene and modern visual.
Amarna changing with the setting sun

Shore lights twinkle as you travel back to Hobart on the night ferry and the peaceful channel creates space to ponder the impressive art experiences you’ve enjoyed at MONA.

Tours & Tickets in Hobart

Here are some other options for things to do in Hobart.

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This Tasmanian Devil tour looks particularly interesting!

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Practical Information

MONA is only open Friday to Sunday, so temporary exhibitions are displayed for five to six months. You must purchase your ticket in advance and ensure you have reservations for everything you want to see.

Conclusion

Have you visited MONA and Hobart? What did you think? Share your comments and suggestions with other Artsy Travelers!

Guest poster and novelist Linda Moore takes artsy travelers on a journey down under to remote Tasmania to experience the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Find out more about Linda Moore and her novels, including Attribution set in Spain and Five Days in Bogota, a contemporary, art-based thriller set in Colombia.

Here are some other contributions from guest posters to help you with your travel planning:

Have you traveled to MONA? Share your suggestions and experience in the comments below.

Bar at the Folies Bergeres by Manet

Best of the Courtauld Gallery in London: A Treasure Trove for the Artsy Traveler

Arts & Culture, Destinations, England, Museums Artsy Traveler 3 Comments on Best of the Courtauld Gallery in London: A Treasure Trove for the Artsy Traveler

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 06:48 pm

I recently visited the Courtauld Gallery within hours of landing at Heathrow after flying to London from Vancouver. After three years away from Europe, I was itching to see great art, and the Courtauld Gallery turned out to be the perfect place to ease my way back into artsy traveling.

It’s small, it’s centrally located, and its collection is exquisite.

The highlights of the Courtauld Gallery are the truly impressive Impressionist collection and the medieval collection.

Pinterest graphic showing a painting of workers in a field by Gauguin. The text reads "Courtauld Gallery: An Artsy Treasure Trove"

The Courtauld Gallery is part of the renowned Courtauld Institute of Art. This research-led higher education institution is the University of London’s largest community of art historians, conservators and curators. The gallery recently reopened after being closed for three years. The new and improved version is little short of spectacular.

Like the vast majority of visitors, I headed first to the top floor to view the Impressionist collection and the special exhibition of paintings by Edvard Munch (see my review of this exhibition). The room containing the Impressionist collection attracts the most visitors and can get a bit crowded.

I walked into the large room containing a delicious collection of Impressionists and immediately had to sit down to prevent myself from falling down and embarrassing myself. What I really wanted to do is laugh out loud and twirl myself past masterpiece after masterpiece, giddy with the beauty surrounding me.

When, finally, I collected myself, I began pacing slowly and reverently past gorgeous painting after gorgeous painting by all the biggies—Monet, Cézanne, Gauguin, Renoir, and on and on.

Here are just a few of the highlights of the Impressionist collection.

Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan by Paul Cézanne

Image of the painting entitled "all Trees at the Jas de Bouffan" showing a row of trees in Provence by Paul Cezanne included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“Tall Trees at the Jas de Bouffan” by Paul Cezanne

Cézanne painted many views of the countryside surrounding Jas de Bouffan, a rural estate outside Aix-en-Provence owned by Cézanne’s father. Having visited the area, I can attest that Cézanne captures the shimmering quality of the light and the particularly vivid shades of green unique to Provence. My favorite Cézannes are his paintings of the Provence landscapes and this one is a keeper for sure!

Young Woman Powdering Herself by Georges Seurat

Painting called "Young Woman Powdering Herself" by Goerges Seurat showing a woman wearing a red corset and holding a powder puff. The style is pointillist and the piece is included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“Young Woman Powdering Herself” by Georges Seurat

I’ve long been a fan of Georges Seurat who created the “pointillist” style of painting. He followed newly formulated optical theories by placing colors from opposite sides of the color wheel–orange and blue; pink and green–next to each other to create contrast. Seurat died at age 31 but he left behind some stunning works, this one being his only major portrait.

Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh

"Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear" by Vincent van Gogh" included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear” by Vincent van Gogh

I couldn’t believe the Courtauld had this piece! It’s one of my favorite van Goghs. I love how he contrasts the various colors–blue hat, green coat, orange face–and also includes the image of one of the Japanese prints he collected. Van Gogh was heavily influenced by Japanese printmaking. He painted this piece in 1889, a week after leaving hospital following the famous incident when he cut off a portion of his left ear after a heated argument with Paul Gauguin. Even injured, van Gogh was determined to keep painting.

The Haystacks by Paul Gauguin

The Haystacks by Paul Gauguin included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
The Haystacks by Paul Gauguin

And speaking of Gauguin, I was thrilled to see this piece which he painted while he was living in Brittany. Gregg Simpson (husband and painter) is currently working on the Pont Aven Suite, a series inspired by Gauguin’s Brittany paintings, so Gauguin has been a regular topic of a conversation in our house. I love how Gauguin simplifies and flattens forms and colors. This piece has so much movement–the women raking hay above and the man driving the oxen below.

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Edouard Manet

The Bar at the Folies Bergeres by Edoaurd Manet included in the Impressionist collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
A Bar at the Folies-Bergères by Edouard Manet

Fabulous as all the pieces in the Impressionist collection are, the best of all is my old friend A Bar at the Folies-Bergères by Manet. What a painting!

The young barmaid (the model’s name was Suzon) looks out at the viewer, her expression both bored and vulnerable at the same time. According to the descriptive text next to the piece, “Manet created a complex and absorbing compostion that is considered one of the iconic paintings of modern life.” That is certainly true!

Suzon is every person in the world working in a dead-end job they hate and yet obliged to pretend they enjoy for the sake of the customers.

After thoroughly exploring the top floor, I began my descent to the other two floors to explore the rest of the Courtauld Gallery’s collection. I was in for a treat as it turned out.

One of my favorite eras for painting is the middle ages, particularly the first half of the 14th century when artists were not worried about perspective and realism. I love the use of gold, the pastel shades of the egg tempera paint the artists used, and the lego-like way in which they depicted medieval buildings.

Well, the Courtauld delivered! To my delight, it houses a lovely medieval collection that includes such notables as Lorenzetti and Duccio—two hometown boys from Siena, my fave Italian city (and one of the settings for The Towers of Tuscany).

As is often the case in art museums, the medieval rooms were pretty much empty so I drifted from painting to painting and admired to my heart’s content.

A highlight is a series of small panels painted by Fra Angelico (1417-1455) that depicts six female saints. Each face is incredibly expressive and compelling. I wonder who Fra Angelico used as models.

Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in the black habit of a nun created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a blue robe trimmed with gold and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a red robe and with long hair, and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint dressed in a pink cloak and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint wearing a red gown trimmed with gold and a green cape, and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
Medieval gold panel that includes a portrait of a female saint wearing a simple blue gown and created by Fra Angelico included in the Medieval collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.

After thoroughly exploring and enjoying the large collection of medieval art, I toured the rest of the collection. There’s a fair number of works from the 16th to the 19th centuries, including works by Rembrandt, Gainsborough, Reynolds, and Rubens.

A big selling point of the Courtauld is its compact size and that each piece in the colleciton is stellar. I don’t think I’ve ever visited an art museum where the quality of all the pieces is so uniformly high.

After my visit, I got chatting with the young man in the gift shop. He enthusiastically agreed that the Courtauld’s collection is first-rate and also kindly listened to me rattle on about how I first visited the Courtauld with my mom back in 1970 (likely a good forty years befor he was born!)

Here are two more of my favorites at the Courtauld Gallery.

Adam and Eve by Cranach the Elder included in the collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“Adam and Eve” by Cranach the Elder
Landscape with the Flight into Egypt painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder and ncluded in the collection at the Courtauld Gallery in London.
“Landscape with the Flight Into Egypt” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

The Courtauld Gallery is open Monday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. Book your ticket in advance on the website to avoid line-ups and also to make sure you get in! Check the website also for special exhibitions. The Munch exhibition I saw was definitely worth the extra price.

Where to Stay in London

Stay as close to the center of London as you can afford. You’ll be able to walk a lot more places that you’ll want to see and you’ll feel like you’re where the action is!

Here are three recommendations:

  • Park Plaza Victoria London Hotel located right across the street from Victoria Station is a good deal for a modern, four-star hotel in the heart of London.
  • Wilde ApartHotel just off the Strand is an excellent choice and couldn’t be more central for the West End Theaters. It’s also within easy walking distance of the Courtauld Gallery.
  • The ParkCity in Kensington is a bit farther off the beaten track but very close to some of my favorite museums, including the Victoria & Albert.

London Tours & Tickets

Here are some options for touring London and buying tickets for interesting museums such as the Design Museum and other attractions.

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London Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of London!

Conclusion

As my first visit to a world-class art museum in three years, the Courtauld was the perfect choice. It gently eased me back into artsy traveling, doling out artsy hits like small bites of gourmet chocolates—each one more flavorful than the last and yet all equally fabulous.

Have you visited the Courtauld? Which piece was your favorite? Share your experience in the Comments section below.

Here are some more posts about favorite art museums in Europe:

The Belvedere Palace in Vienna, with its ornate Baroque architecture and green domed roofs, reflecting in a large pond. A white statue of nymphs and sea creatures stands in the center of the water.

Visit These 15 Best Museums in Vienna

Arts & Culture, Austria, Destinations, Museums Artsy Traveler 3 Comments on Visit These 15 Best Museums in Vienna

Last updated on January 15th, 2025 at 05:09 pm

If you love museums, then Vienna is your town!

You can easily fill several days visiting Vienna’s world-class museums.

You’ll find museums that cater to just about every artsy interest–from painting to music to theater and much more.

In this post, I describe what I consider the 15 must-see museums for artsy travelers to visit while touring Vienna, one of my favorite European cultural capitals. 

A collage featuring Vienna’s museums, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum dome, the modernist Mumok building, the Belvedere Palace with a pond, and a colorful brick wall with glass bottles embedded in concrete. Bold white text reads "Best Vienna Museum Experiences" with the website "artsytraveler.com."

Vienna Museum Highlights at a Glance

Map of Vienna

Use the map below to get your bearings when touring Vienna. It’s a very walkable city with most of the museums clustered in the museum district.

This map was made with Wanderlog, for making itineraries on iOS and Android

Touring Museums in Vienna

So let’s dig into my suggestions for the 15 best museum experiences in Vienna.

As you’ll quickly discover, Vienna really is one of Europe’s best destinations for museum lovers.

The only trouble is that you need to pace yourself. All those long, marble-floored corridors are hard on the knees. Take your time! It’s better to enjoy fewer museums and enjoy yourself than try to see them all and be too exhausted to take in a concert in the evening and enjoy a plate of weiner schnitzel.

Assume you’ll return!

And while Vienna has some of the best museums in the world, it’s also a wonderful place to just sit back and watch the world go by. There’s a reason that Vienna consistently ranks in the top ten of the world’s most livable cities.

Here are my suggestions for 15 museums to visit in Vienna.

National Museums

#1: Kunsthistorisches Museum

Start at the Kunsthistorisches Museum (#1), Vienna’s answer to the Louvre and considered by many to be one of the best museums in all of Vienna.

Located at Maria-Theresien-Platz in the Imperial Palace complex, this fabulous (and HUGE) museum exhibits the art collection of the Habsburg family. They were also known as the House of Austria and for several hundred years ruled a large chunk of Europe.

Skip the line by purchasing your tickets online before you leave. You save time and are guaranteed entry into this marvelous museum.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum includes several collections.

The exterior of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, a grand building with domes, statues, and a manicured garden with a fountain in the foreground. This museum is one of the top museums to visit in Vienna.
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

Egyptian and Near Eastern

You’ll find one of the world’s most important collections of Egyptian antiquities at the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Take a tour of the collection which includes more than 17,000 objects. I always enjoy a good Egyptian museum, and the collection here is first-rate.

Greek and Roman Antiquities

The collection spans 3,000 years. I’m particularly fond of the Greek vases decorated with scenes of Greek life.

Kunstkammer Wien: The Cradle of the Museum

This relatively new area of the museum (opened in 2013) contains over 2,200 fabulous artworks. The Habsburg emperors were busy collectors from the late Middle Ages to the Baroque Age. You’ll find sculptures, clocks, objets d’art, scientific instruments, automatons, and a lot more.

The list goes on. Have a good look. You won’t regret it.

The collection in the Picture Gallery is nirvana for the art lover. You’ll find pieces by Pieter Bruegel the Elder that you’ll probably recognize if you like 16th-century Dutch painting and if you’ve ever taken a European art history course. 

You’ll also find masterpieces by Caravaggio, Titian, Rubens, and one of my favorites, Arcimboldo, who really had a way with food.

We bought a jigsaw puzzle of one of the Arcimboldo paintings in the marvelous museum gift shop. I do like a good museum giftshop and the one at the Kunsthistorisches has a great selection.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo - Summer - Google Art Project
Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Collection of Historical Musical Instruments

I write about the incredible collection of historical musical instruments in Music Lover’s Guide to Vienna. On my solo trip to Vienna, I spent a happy afternoon enjoying the rooms full of pianos and harpsichords and various other instruments. The collection of Renaissance and Baroque instruments is reputed to be the finest in the world.

I was in heaven, particularly because this area of the massive museum was virtually empty. If I’d been so inclined, I could have played one of the pianos, and probably no one would have been the wiser.

Needless to say, I didn’t try. The prospect of even a short stay in a Viennese prison did not appeal, even if it’s likely to be well maintained and serve wiener schnitzel and torte.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum also includes the Coin Collection, an Armory, and lots more, but you get the picture. The museum is worth a good chunk of your day. Alternatively, pace yourself and space your visit across a few days. It depends on your stamina because plenty of museums await you in Vienna’s Museum Quarter.

The Kunsthistorisches Museum is open daily except Mondays from 10 am to 6 pm and on Thursdays from 10 am to 9 pm.

Here’s an option for that includes a guided tour:

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#2: Natural History Museum

The architectural mirror image of the Kunsthistorisches Museum is the Museum of Natural History of Naturhistorisches Museum (#2) opposite it.

I have a soft spot for natural history museums, and Vienna’s is excellent, easily on par with the Natural History Museums in London, New York, and Washington.

The big draw is the squat statue of the wonderfully fecund Venus of Willendorf. She’s a clay figurine just 11.1 centimeters tall, reputed to have been made between 24,000 and 22,000 BCE, which is a long time ago on any calendar.

Although little is known about how or why she was made, you have to think her purpose had something to do with fertility.

I mean, seriously! Look at her!

Because she lacks defined facial features, some philosophers and archeologists view the Venus of Willendorf as representative of a universal mother.

Well, I certainly took to her. She’s displayed in a special, atmospherically lit case that will probably be surrounded by other museum-goers.

Figurine called the Venus of Willendorf on display at the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
Don Hitchcock, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creative
commons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0via Wikimedia Commons

Wait your turn and then spend a few minutes contemplating universal motherhood and also thinking about the people who made this exquisite figure.

How had they used her? Had she been cherished? I like to think so.

Animal Displays 

One of the museum’s many highlights being the massive second floor containing several high-ceilinged, ornate rooms stuffed to the ceiling with stuffed animals.

When we walked into the reptile room on our family trip, I had to sprint through it with my eyes closed.

Stuffed snakes in glass cages slithered every which way through the massive room. And I don’t mean the cute plush variety of stuffed snakes.

Oh no. I’m talking about very real, very menacing, very snakey snakes. Ugh!

Fortunately, the other rooms made up for the trauma of the reptile room. The Vienna Museum of Natural History gets top marks for taxidermy.

Museums in the Museum Quarter

Vienna’s Museum Quarter (MQ) (#3) in central Vienna is truly a remarkable cultural area. Housing over sixty cultural institutions, the MQ is one of the largest districts for contemporary art and culture in the world.

You’ll find museums and events devoted to art, architecture, music, fashion, theater, children’s culture, literature, dance, street art, photography, even gaming culture.

This is the place to be if you love the arts.

Highlights of the MQ directly related to visual art include viewing modern art at the Leopold Museum, MUMOK – the Museum of Modern Art and Kunsthalle Wien, and visiting the remarkable Kunst Haus Wien–Vienna’s first ecological museum.

The MQ is always open and entry is free. Relax in the various courtyards and engage in some serious people watching.

The Museum Quarter in Vienna, bustling with people seated on modern red benches, with the Mumok building in the background.
Hanging out in the Museum Quarter in Vienna

For more information about what’s on, including special events, check the MQ website and the websites for the individual museums. The range and breadth of cultural activities truly is breathtaking!

Here are four of the major art museums in the MQ.

#4: Leopold Museum

The Leopold Museum (#4) exhibits the world’s most important collection of paintings and works on paper by Egon Schiele.

Along with Gustav Klimt, Schiele is one of the best-known Austrian artists of the 20th century.

Painting of a woman in a striped dress by Austrian artist Egon Schiele on display at the Leopold Museum in Vienna, Austria, one of the 15 best museums in Vienna.
Egon Schiele, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

#5: MUMOK – Museum moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien

MUMOK (#5) is the largest museum of modern and contemporary art in central Europe (and that’s saying something!).

You’ll find an amazing collection that features works of classical modernism (my favorite) by artists such as Picasso, Mondrian, and Magritte to mention only a few, along with pop art, Fluxus, minimal art, and concept art, as well as Vienna Actionism and contemporary art.

The exterior of the Mumok (Museum of Modern Art) in Vienna, a large gray modernist building with a curved facade and a broad staircase leading to the entrance.
MUMOK in the Museum Quarter in Vienna

#6: Kunsthalle Wien

The Kunsthalle Wien (#6) fcouses on temporary exhibitions of contemporary art. I confess I’m not generally a fan of contemporary art, but if you are, check the website for current exhibitions.

#7: Kunst Haus Wien

Vienna’s first ecological museum, the Kunst Haus Wien (#7), features contemporary art with a focus on photography. You have to check out the building–it’s remarkable with colorful tiles, uneven floors, and irregular structures.

The museum also houses the Museum Hundertwasser which displays the largest permanent collection of works by Friedensreich Hundertwasser who designed the building for the Kunst Haus Wien and is also one of Austria’s most famous artists and visionaries.

Here’s an option for purchasing tickets to the Kunst Haus Wien:

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The Meeting Place at the MuseumsQuartier (MQ) is one of the largest cultural quarters in the world. You’ll need another day to tour the MQ and also hang out in its public spaces.

Other Top Museums in Vienna

#8: Belvedere Palace

You can’t visit Vienna and not visit the Belvedere Palace (#8)! It’s the home of the world’s largest collection of Klimt’s paintings, including his masterpiece, The Kiss, and the iconic Judith I.

You’ll also find an excellent 19th-century collection that includes work by Monet and van Gogh.

Called The Kiss, this is a famous painting by Gustav Klimt depicting a couple embracing, covered in golden robes, surrounded by a field of colorful flowers. You can see this painting when you visit the Belvedere in Vienna.
Gustav Klimt, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The baroque Belvedere Palace itself is worth visiting to see its magnificent ornamental gardens and the stunning views of Vienna.

Here’s an option for visiting the Belvedere that includes a private guided tour:

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#9: Albertina Museum

The Albertina Museum (#9) is located not far from the Vienna Opera House, and contains the world’s most important graphic collections along with works of art by Monet, Renoir, Chagall, Miro, Magritte, Munch, Picasso, and more. 

You can also visit the Albertina – Modern a few blocks away, which is Vienna’s new museum of modern art.

#10: Theater Museum Vienna

I always go out of my way to visit a museum dedicated to theater. My third novel, The Muse of Fire, is set in the theater.

The collection at the Theater Museum (#10) in Vienna includes over 1,000 stage models, 600 costumes, and a lot of props that bring the history of theater in Austria to life. So much to see!

#11: Jewish Museum 

Billed as the world’s first Jewish Museum, the Jewish Museum Vienna is the place to learn about Vienna’s Jewish life from the Middle Ages to the present (#11).

The permanent collection showcasing the Jewish community in medieval Vienna is particularly compelling. For two hundred years beginning in the thirteenth century, Vienna was a center of Jewish knowledge and learning. In 1420/21, the members of this first Jewish community were expelled and murdered by order of Duke Albert V. The recent discovery of the remains of the destroyed medieval synagogue drew attention to Vienna’s hitherto largely ignored medieval history.

#12: MAK – Museum of Applied Arts

The MAK Museum (#12) is a “museum for arts and the everyday world.” Its extensive collection focuses on the applied arts and the interface of design, architecture, and contemporary arts.

MAK showcases a special exhibition called « Vienna 1900 » with some of the most illustrious art nouveau designers.

MAK’s permanent   collection includes one of the world’s finest collection of lace and glassware, particularly Venetian glass (I’m a sucker for Venetian glass). You’ll also find a collection of textiles and carpets, and lots more.

#13: Wien Museum

I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Wien Museum with its displays showcasing the history and culture of Vienna over the centuries. The museum’s permanent exhibition is called “Vienna. My History” and provides the visitor with a chronological tour of the city — from the first settlement to the present day. 

When I was visiting Vienna to research A Woman of Note, I spent a long time in the Wien Museum getting a feel for what life was like in Vienna in the early 19th century.

I found the scale model of Vienna as it looked when it was still enclosed by a wall particularly interesting. In the 19th century, the wall was demolished and replaced with the Ring Road. 

A detailed scale model of Vienna, showcasing the city's historic architecture, winding streets, and bridges over a river. The model is housed in an octagonal glass case, highlighting intricate features such as buildings, city walls, and surrounding greenery. This model is a highlight of a visit to the Wien Museum in Vienna.

Music Museums in Vienna

Vienna is the City of Music and home to an impressive number of the world’s most famous composers–Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Strauss, and Mahler.

And several more composers stopped by to perform, including Chopin, Liszt, Schumann (Robert and Clara), and Brahms.

#14: Pascqualati House

A highlight of my solo trip to Vienna was visiting Pasqualati House (#13) where Beethoven lived and worked for a while. He changed apartments a lot, apparently.

Another good choice of Beethoven lovers (and who isn’t?!) is the Beethoven Museum. 

Carol Cram stands in front of Pasqualati House where Beethoven once lived. It is an historic building with tall windows and red-and-white striped flags hanging above a plaque.
Me in front of Vienna’s Pasqualati House, one of the places where Beethoven lived

#15: The House of Music

Also known as the House of Sound (#14), this celebration of music–particularly classical music (my favorite)–is spine-tinglingly awesome! I could sepnd days here exploring five floors of first-rate, music-themed exhibits.

Try your hand at conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and find out it’s not as easy as it looks!

#16: Mozarthaus Museum

Mozart lived in several houses in the city during his short and tumultuous life. The only one that survives is the Mozarthaus Museum (#15) at Domgasse #5, where he lived from 1784 to 1787.

The museum sprawls over 1,000 square meters on six levels and is a place of pilgrimage for Mozart lovers. Here’s an option for purchasing tickets.

https://www.getyourguide.com/vienna-l7/vienna-tickets-for-mozarthaus-vienna-with-audio-guide-t35669/?ranking_uuid=d319443f-af37-4fc9-8491-1e4a19ab494f

For more information about these and other top music sites to visit in Vienna, read Music Lover’s Guide to Vienna.

Museum Passes

If you enjoy touring museums and have two or more days in Vienna, consider purchasing a Vienna PASS.

You’ll be able to skip the line to popular attractions, get in free to more than 60 attractions, including the Belvedere Palace and St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and ride the hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus. It’s a pretty good deal and it saves you time.

Another option is the Vienna City Card.

Another less expensive option is the Vienna Flexi PASS that allows you to customize your itinerary.

Vienna Tours

Here are some GetYourGuide tours of Vienna.

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Vienna Walking Tours

GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of Vienna!

Other recommended posts about Austria and Vienna:

Have you been to Vienna? What are your favorite museums? Let us know in the comments below.