If you love the arts and immersing yourself in the creative world, you probably want to continue discovering as many artworks as possible and learning as much as you can about this world. Doing so, however, takes time and effort, as well as a willingness to expand your horizons. One of the best ways to achieve this is to visit art museums and galleries yourself so that you get a chance to interact with the art, artists, and fellow art lovers as well. You’ll have the opportunity to exchange ideas and opinions about the works so that you not only create a network of fellow people who are connected to art but develop the ways in which you approach artworks as well.
Becoming more knowledgeable means that you’ll have a different outlook the next time you’re looking to buy art prints online, as you can delve into the themes and topics much more efficiently, as well as have a better idea about the materials and methods used to create the work. While these aspects might seem inconsequential to a beginner, all veteran collectors know that they are an essential part of the selection and purchasing processes. With that in mind, let’s look into some of the best spots you should have on your holiday bucket list if you are an art enthusiast.
Italy
When you look into the history of art, few places have had as much of an impact as Italy when it comes to styles and techniques. From the Etruscans and Romans to the medieval Italo-Byzantine art, the Duecento, Trecento, and Baroque, all the way to the Futurism that flourished during the early 20th century, the Arte Povera of the 1960s that included minimalism and performance art, and the Transavantgarde, the Italian version of Neo-expressionism which emerged in the 80s, Italy has always been an incredibly rich landscape for artistic expression. The Renaissance is perhaps the most emblematic time for Italian art, the one that even those who aren’t passionate about the subject are aware of.
Botticelli, Donatello, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci are only a handful of the artists who lived and created works during this time. The Galleria Borghese, located in Rome, housed in the Villa Borghese Pinciana, whose construction was commenced in 1607 by Cardinal Scipione Borghese, who was the nephew of Pope Paul V and his secretary, a position that allowed him to amass enormous wealth, is one of the spots that should definitely be on your list. You can also visit the gardens as well, if you have the time to do so. The villa houses the Borghese collection, artworks that have been gathered since the 17th century. Some of the masterpieces you can see inside belong to Bernini, Titian, Canova, Caravaggio, and Raphael. The building’s magnificent and ornate architecture is part of the displays as well, with the ceilings, wall details, and halls being nothing short of awe-inspiring.
If you’re in Florence, you are most likely aware of the Uffizi and the Palazzo Pitti, but what about the Galleria dell’ Accademia? The museum is best known as the home of David’s Michelangelo, several other sculptures belonging to the master, and a large collection of paintings ranging from the Trecento to the Late Renaissance.
London
The English capital is one of the most important art centers in the world, with most of its museums being entirely free of charge. The Victoria and Albert Museum is the largest institution in the world dedicated to design and the applied arts, hosting almost 3 million objects in its permanent collection. The collection spans approximately 5,000 years of arts and crafts from all across the globe and includes ceramics, silver, ironwork, furniture, jewelry, sculptures, prints, photographs, and drawings. Bavarian decorated battle armor from the 1570s, Spanish gold, and emerald pendants, Azerbaijani carpets, tapestries, costumes worn by Elton John, Mick Jagger, Iggy Pop, Chris Martin, Shirley Bassey, and Taylor Swift, green-glazed ceramics, and silk embroideries are just a few of the items you can view at the V&A.
New York
New York has a reputation as one of the most vibrant and dynamic cities in the world, being a place of self-expression and a global center of the arts and cultures with a large concentration of art galleries and cultural institutions. The city is not significant just for the artistic aspect of the ecosystem but for the commercial layer of art as well, with many people coming to New York to discover and buy art. The American Folk Art Museum can be found in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, at 2 Lincoln Square, Columbus Avenue at 66th Street. The collection is dedicated to folk art and self-taught contemporary artists from both the US and the world.
The Artists Space is a non-profit gallery in SoHo founded in 1972 and funded by the New York State Council on the Arts. It provides a space for young and emerging artists that is separate from museums and commercial galleries. It served as one of the inception sites of the No Wave movement, an avant-garde genre that inhabits the worlds of both the visual arts and music. The Bernard Museum of Judaica hosts temporary exhibits on Jewish life and culture, including menorahs, illuminated manuscripts, silver items, fashion, and stereoscopic images from the 19th century.
Mexico
Mexico is famous for its archaeological and folk art, but there’s also a lot of more recent art. The International Museum of the Baroque in Puebla, Mexico, is relatively new, having opened in February 2016. It hosts both permanent and temporary exhibitions, with the former including no fewer than eight halls dedicated to art, architecture, music, and architecture from the Baroque era. The museum also delves into the ways in which the styles dating from the Baroque era have remained influential to this day.
The Caricature Museum in Mexico City is located in an 18th-century building and promotes Mexican cartooning, a form of art that is done for both entertainment and political reasons. Political sketches and cartoons belonging to Frida Kahlo and José Clemente Orozco have been hosted in the museum, and the Mexican Society of Cartoonists has an exhibition hall, workshops, and conferences in the building as well.
There’s so much incredible art to discover that a lifetime most likely wouldn’t be enough to go through everything. However, exploring as many places as you can and interacting with the works of as many artists as possible is certainly one of the most enriching things you could do for yourself.
