10 Largest Museums in the World

Last Updated on 4th December 2023 by admin

Museums provide a special place to explore and learn about the world around us. A wide range of art, culture, history, technology, science, education are displayed here, and that provides an endless source of inspiration. These special buildings are also home to some of the most precious artifacts from prehistoric times. Museums come in all shapes and sizes, with very different collections where you can see many specimens of art from the historical era to modern times. These incomparable galleries are a vast wealth of art, historical objects and stories to tell about the existence of the earth over the centuries. These buildings can be public or privately owned and are located all over the world.

Here, at World Famous Things we are listing the top 10 largest art museums in the world, with a brief summary of museum information along with location, gallery space, and year of establishment. So, let’s know about the biggest museums from around the world!

10) Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Gallery Space: 28,000 sq. m (300,000 sq. ft)

Location: Houston, Texas, USA

Constructed: 1900

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Image Source: Flickr 

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is an art museum is also called MFAH located in the Museum District of Houston, Texas, United States. MAFIA’s institutional record dates back to 1900, but after several years of planning by the museum’s founding organization, the Houston Art League, the building officially opened on April 12, 1924. The original building was designed in the early 1920s by Houston architect William Ward Watkin. The museum houses of permanent collection from 6,000 years of history, with approximately 70,000 pieces of art works from around the world.

After the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Building in 2020, it became one of the largest art museums in the world, according to Gallery Space in over 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2). MFAH’s encyclopaedic collection is particularly strong in pre-Columbian & African gold, Renaissance & Baroque painting, photography, European & American painting, and Latin American & Latino art. Museum also houses the collection of decorative arts, craft, and design from 17th to 20th century.

 

9) Humboldt Forum

Gallery Space: 29,500 sq. m (317,500 sq. ft)

Location: Berlin, Germany

Constructed: 2020

Humboldt Forum Berlin

The Humboldt Forum is a museum dedicated to human history, art and culture, located in the Berlin Palace, Germany. The treatment of colonial-era objects had generated much controversy prior to its opening of the Humboldt Forum Museum project in the German capital, Berlin. The museum was originally expected to open in December 2019, but the construction and inauguration of the museum was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The museum was opened digitally on 16 December 2020 and was officially opened to the public and tourists on 20 July 2021.

The Humboldt Forum is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Germany, which consists of two former museums, Ethnographic Museum and the Asian Art Museum, both are belonged to the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. Since 2020 the Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art became part of the Humboldt Forum at the Berlin Palace, and due to the merger of the two, the Humboldt Forum Museum is now considered the largest museum in Germany.

 

8) Victoria and Albert Museum

Gallery Space: 30,000 sq. m (320,000 sq. ft)

Location: London, United Kingdom

Constructed: 1852

Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) is the largest museum of art, design and performance in the world located at Cromwell Road, Kensington and Chelsea in the capital of England, London. The V&A is the largest museum in the United Kingdom, covering approximately 12.5 acres of land with 145 galleries. The museum has a permanent collection of over 2.3 million objects of decorative arts and designs, including apparel, pottery, glass, textiles, silver, furniture, medieval objects, sculpture, prints, ironwork, jewellery, drawings, photographs and many more.

Its collection includes more than 5000 years of art in Europe, North America, Asia and North African cultures from ancient times to the modern era. The Victoria and Albert Museum is also one of the most famous tourist attractions in England. The architectural collection at the V&A Museum is one of the world’s most comprehensive architectural resources, which making it an important museum in the world.

 

7) National Museum of Anthropology

Gallery Space: 33,000 sq. m (360,000 sq. ft)

Location: Mexico City, Mexico

Constructed: 1964

National Museum of Anthropology

The National Museum of Anthropology is considered one of the most comprehensive history museums in the world. It is the largest museum in Mexico. This massive building is located in Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park and was designed by the late Mexican architect Pedro Ramírez Vazquez. President Adolfo López Mateos, inaugurated it on September 17, 1964. The National Museum of Anthropology is one of Mexico’s main tourist destinations, attracting over two million visitors annually.

The museum is home to the world’s largest collection of ancient Mexican artifacts, which is a must to visit in NMA, if you want to understand the history of Mexico. The museum houses notable historical objects such as the Aztec Stone of the Sun, the Aztec Xochipilli statue, the treasure of King Pacal’s tomb, and the giant stone heads of the Olmec civilization which were found in the forests of Tabasco and Veracruz.

 

6) Tokyo National Museum

Gallery Space: 38,000 sq. m (410,000 sq. ft)

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Constructed: 1872

Tokyo National Museum

The Tokyo National Museum is the one of the most famous destinations in Japan located in Ueno Park, Taito ward of Tokyo. It is the largest and oldest museum in Japan, established in 1872 as a museum of the Ministry of Education. The museum houses a collection of approximately 120,000, including national treasures, paintings, sculpture, architectural models, calligraphy, ancient pottery, samurai swords, important cultural assets, gorgeous kimonos and also display a large number of Buddhist sculptures and many other collections.

The Tokyo National Museum celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022, and for the first time since its inception, the museum displayed an amazing array of Japan’s most precious artifacts. If you want to know more about the culture and history of Japan, then you must visit Tokyo National Museum, here you will get to know the culture of Japan closely, as it has the world’s largest collection of Japanese art.

 

5) Vatican Museums

Gallery Space: 43,000 sq. m (460,000 sq. ft)

Location: Vatican City

Constructed: 1506

Vatican Museums

The Vatican Museums is the public museum of Vatican City, it is actually a group of art and Christian museums. It was founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century and continually expanded by the Pontiff, the Vatican Museums are home to one of the world’s greatest art collections. The Vatican Museums are filled with artistic and historical art pieces by some greatest artists from around the world. It houses vast collections collected by the Catholic Church and papacy over the centuries, including some of the world’s most famous Roman sculptures and many of the most important works of Renaissance art.

The Vatican Museums is one of the oldest museums in the world, the Vatican houses about 26 museums and many galleries with the most valuable collections. The museum is one of the biggest museums in the world and welcomes over 6 million visitors each year, the Vatican Museums being one of Rome’s most famous tourist attractions. It ranks fourth in the list of the most visited art museums in the world, with a collection of more than 70,000 paintings and sculptures. 

 

4) Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gallery Space: 58,820 sq. m (633,100 sq. ft)

Location: New York City, USA

Constructed: 1870

Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in New York City is the largest museum in the United States and one of the most visited museums in the world. The Metropolitan founded in 1870 and opened in February 1872 when Robert Lee Jenkins donated his personal collection. He has since grown his collection to over 2 million items. The museum’s collection ranges from ancient to contemporary, originating around the world. The museum has long preserved high conservation standards of cultural artifacts.

The Met is truly an excellent museum, which houses everything from Egyptian, Greek, Islamic, Indian art and also kept famous European paintings. It houses the works of famous painters such as Rembrandt, Rodes Botticelli, Vermeer and Gass, as well as other publishers. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of New York City’s most famous landmarks, as well as one of the 10 most visited museums in the world. The museum has over 6 million annual visitors.

 

3) National Museum of China

Gallery Space: 65,000 sq. m (700,000 sq. ft)

Location: Beijing, China

Constructed: 2003

National Museum of China

The National Museum of China is the largest comprehensive museum in China. It is an art museum located on the east side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. It was formed in 2003 by the merger of the adjacent former Museum of Chinese History and the Museum of the Chinese Revolution. The museum is a comprehensive museum with equal emphasis on history and art. The most important item in the National Museum of China is the “Haumwu Ding” which is from the Shang Dynasty. It is the heaviest piece of ancient bronze ware in the world, with a total weight of 833 kg.

The National Museum of China has a collection of more than 1.4 million pieces, including ancient cultural relics, modern cultural relics, ancient books, rare books, works of art and other categories. The National Museum of China not only collects, preserves and displays China’s outstanding cultural achievements, but also displays the world’s outstanding civilizational achievements. The National Museum of China is not only the largest museum in the country, even in the continent of Asia, and also one of the largest museums in the world. This is a great place to learn about Chinese culture and the history of the various long-hidden dynasties.

 

2) State Hermitage Museum

Gallery Space: 66,842 sq. m (7719,480 sq. ft)

Location: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Constructed: 1764

State Hermitage Museum

The State Hermitage Museum is a museum of art and culture situated on the banks of the Neva River in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the world’s second biggest museum, and a trip to Russia is certainly not complete without a visit to the famous State Hermitage Museum. Did you know, the Hermitage began its existence as a private art collection of Catherine the Great? It was founded in 1764 when Empress Catherine the Great bought over 200 works of an impressive collection of paintings from Berlin. The museum’s collection is represented by over 3 million works of art from the Stone Age to the present day.

State Hermitage is recognized as the best museum in Russia and Europe and named among the three most important museums in the world. The most interesting fact about the museum is that the Hermitage is the legal home of over 50 cats. They are all museum employees, named Hermitage Cat. Yes, it’s true, the museum has been hiring cats since the time when it wasn’t a museum, people needed to protect the residents from rats and mice. Even today, it is believed that cats still take care of masterpieces of art.

 

1) The Louvre Museum

Gallery Space: 72,735 sq. m (782,910 sq. ft)

Location: Paris, France

Constructed: 1793

The Louvre Museum

The Louvre Museum is the largest museum in the world located in Paris, the capital of France. The Louvre Museum is so large that it covers a total area of ​​72,735 square meters (782,910 sq. ft) of gallery space, which makes it very difficult to see in a day. The Museum was inaugurated in the year 1793. About 10 million tourists visit the Louvre every year in Paris, which makes it one of the most famous tourist attractions in France. The Louvre is called the Museum of Museums, and most of the information about Western art is found here.

The Louvre was actually a palace whose construction began in the 12th century. At that time, it was a fort. The rooms were renovated and by the 17th century, the building had taken the shape of a large palace. The special attraction of this museum is one of the most famous paintings of the Mona Lisa which was made by Leonardo da Vinci in the 16th century. Many pictures have been stolen from here before. Even the Monalisa was stolen from the museum by someone. A large pyramid of glass has been built in front of the Louvre, which has now become the hallmark of this museum. Apart from this, many objects of Egyptian, Greek and Islamic culture have been kept in the exhibition.

 

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