Exploring the Best of America: Must-Visit Museums Across the US
If you are curious about knowing more about the past of the USA, then you should certainly pay a visit to the museums in various cities and gain more knowledge about their past existence.
Museums are always a place of discovery, or let's say they put forth what has already been discovered or what has been left behind in the dust of time. When we visit a museum, it is not just history that we come in terms with, it is also some spectacular facts about civilization that comes to surface.
All across the world museums carry a history of their own. Every country, every city, every community, has museums which speak of their past in comparison to their present. Similarly, if you happen to visit the USA, you will certainly come across various famous museums that harbor secrets of ancient artifacts.
In this article below, we have curated a list of museums which have something very unique to offer, something more than just history, something more than artefacts. Have a look at the names of the museums and see if it is possible for you to check out these very cool places while on your USA tour.
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago harbors some of the most celebrated arts of George Seurat’s pointillist A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks and Grant Wood’s American Gothic. The museum is not just an assembler of art, but also serves the purpose of a breathtaking restaurant Terzo Piano from where you can actually see the Chicago skyline and the Millennium Park. If you are not a very great fan of art and are not interested in the displays available at the museum, you can surely have a fun visit at ‘Fans of Ferris Bueller's Day Off’ and recreate all the iconic scenes from the alleys of the museum.
National WWII Museum in New Orleans
This six-acre expansive museum was inaugurated in the year 2000, it speaks of the reminiscence and remains of WWII. It is situatedat the grounds of the factory which was prepared for the boats utilized during the bombings. Due to the wide stretch of the land, trains are used to commute to the ‘front’ of the museum. You will be able to witness the vintage planes and cars and trucks that were greatly in use during the war. You can also picture Tom Hanks narrating the 4-D film Beyond AllBoundaries and transformingthe space into a space thattalks only about wars.
On certain special occasions, you will also find war veterans paying a visit to the museum of their horrors, of their eroding memories, of themselves, and paying homage to what is left of them and wars. If you are curious to hear their experience, you can politely approach them and have your questions answered.
Metropolitan Museum of Art (aka The Met) in New York City
If you are an art fanatic and have greatly invested in the knowledge of several art forms that have taken birth and evolved since the times of Renaissance to modern date,then this museum is a heavenly visit for your eyes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art located in the heart of the New York city is known to Harbour the celebrated works of artists such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, Manet, Picasso more of such similar figures.
It is almost crazy that a museum canharbour more than 2 million pieces of art that extend up to 2 million square feet and perhaps more on the walls. If you also happen to be an Alfred Hitchcock fan and have watched his seminal film ‘Psycho’, then you have a little surprise waiting for you at the ‘Bates Mansion’. Visit the museum for yourself and find out what is hidden behind the walls of such extravagant art.
Museum of Fine Art, Houston (aka MFAH)
The Museum of Fine Arts at Houston is a fine exampleof the amalgamation of the past and the present. Here you will find art pieces that are as old as six thousand years and beside them you will also find paintings and sculptures that have recently been touched by time, starting from the wall decorations of classical East Asian paintings to the modern work of the artist Kandinsky. The Museum is encircled by a beautifully maintained expansive garden which also displays some of the fine sculptures that are too huge to be kept inside the museum.
Imagine what a break it would be to walk in a garden surrounded by sculptures that are as old as time. It is almost like transgressing the boundary of time and leaping into the past. One very interesting thing about this museum that has been the reason for major tourist attraction is that there is a lighted tunnel which helps you to walk through from one building to another . How often has it been that you can not only view a piece of art but also go through it in literal terms. The tunnel is brightly lit and hardly anything can be understood structurally. The walk from one building to another is almost hallucinatory.
Philadelphia Museum of Art (aka PMA)
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to one of the greatest paintings from the European era. The movement/art form that was started by Picasso called cubism has been extensively followed and portrayed by artist Jean Metzinger. His painting Le Gouter is an exquisite piece of art exhibiting Picasso's concept of cubism. Another integral reason for the museum to garner attention from across America and beyond is that the place harbours more than 225000 works of art, making it an epitome of American pride and honour.
The museum certainly throws light on the rich history of the nation and the excellence of artists that have been left behind in time. The collection at the Museum spans over a time period of centuries, is not that insane that centuries of works and paintings have been secured and kept in this museum with high regard? While you can find paintings of Benjamin Franklin, you will also find art pieces by Picasso,Van Gogh and Duchamp.
Asian Art Museum, San Francisco
If you are done witnessing Eurocentricart and artists in the museums, you can invite a change in your view by visiting the Asian Museum in San Francisco which contains artefacts and sculptures that date back to the year 338. If you are inquisitive about the Asian culture, their history, their reading, their lives and the civilization that followed to the present date, you should totally visit the Asian museum and find out for yourself what the land of Asia has to offer to you. You will certainly find interesting paintings, sculptures, readings and informative descriptions from the past that will help you understand Asian history better and what place else than a museum which itself is evidence of the past times and is presented to you in its raw form.
One of the oldest sculptures of Buddha dating back to the year 338 is found in this museum. Although the structure is remarkably old, time does not seem to havegrown on the art piece. It still looks afresh from the outside, reflecting the excellence of the sculptor and the materials that went into it. If you didnot know already, in Hinduism people worship idols of Gods and Goddesses. In this museum in San Francisco, you will find paintings and sculptures of various Hindu deities preserved and kept safely for display. Not only that, but you will also find ceramics and various other art objects exhibiting Persian art.
Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
While the Legacy of Salvador Dali has remained mystic and surreal in its existence, even after his death the exhibition of his art collection takes place in a small beach town on the almost-remote West Coast of Florida, away from the hustle of mediocrity. We can assert that even in his death, his art refuses to share the same platform as other artists, his art proclaims its ground in a solitary territory where no one would expect to find them. This is Salvador Dali. The museum erected in his memory and celebration of his art is called the Salvador Dali Museum, Florida.
Most of the paintings present there were bought from a couple who were willing to sell the collection they possessed. If you look at the structure of the museum and the intricacies with which the photographs, the building, the designs, drawings, book illustrations and architecture have taken place to reflect nothing but the artist's genius. Out of all the art pieces which are bound to leave you dumbfounded, there is an art piece that was painted based on Dali's wife's fear of bullfighting. The painting has been painted in such a manner that even if you stand in front of it for one whole day, you will not be able to decipher what the painting suggests. Dali's art is nothing but an epitome of excellence. Something which cannot be quantified in words to reflect on the man's genius.
Oh, and for sure you cannot afford to miss out on the Aphrodisiac Telephone,more commonly known as the Lobster Phone, quite different from the knowledge of phones we possess.
USS Midway Museum
The USS Midway Museum is a historical naval aircraft carrier museumLocated in Downtown San Diego, at Navy Pier, the museum is a historic naval aircraft carrier with an extensive collection of aircrafts, many of which were built in California. This floating museum of the city not only houses extensive military aircrafts as exhibits but also hosts various life-at-sea exhibits and family friendly shows.
USS Midway was also America's longest serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century and today the museum gives a good glimpse of the nation's naval history.
The Getty Centre
The Getty Center is is well known for its architecture, gardens, and views overlooking L.A.
The museum which outstands other museums in terms of its extravagant display and well-crafted structure is The Getty Centre. The monument itself represents modern-day art, its circular structure, erected carefully by the legendary architect Richard Meier , is well-matched by 86 acres of Edenic gardens. The Gardens are open to visitors and it is a play where people generally take a stroll after witnessing the dazzling art forms inside.
The art pieces and artefacts are predominantly European art, coming from theRenaissance to the Post Modern age. The galleries are laced with skills of photography, various cultural art forms and much more. If you get excited at the sight of Van Gogh's art, this museum is the right place for you. Few of his celebrated pieces painted a year before his death is at display in this place.
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A city with more than eighty museums, with some dating as far back as the 19th century, a look of these wonderful masterpieces in the cultural capital of the United States. Learn about them in Must See Museums of Art & History in New York.
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