Why I Love Art Collections
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I love art collections - no city visit should be complete without a fix of great art, just as when exploring a new region you should always climb the local high point, to get a fix on where you have arrived. But all too often people treat art museums as sights to 'be done', to be 'ticked off' - the Louvre, the Hermitage? Oh yes, been there, done that. No - like great wine, great art cannot not be sipped once and confined to some memory bank, like a stamped postcard. It needs time. Visits also become like conversations - you discover artists you like, and can visit them again on subsequent visits, or find new connections in other galleries in other parts of the world. You can also make a collection or a specific exhibition the focus of your holiday, the reason to travel. A great hotel, a world class exhibition, and a memorable meal out - what better way to spend two or three nights in Paris, New York, Berlin or Madrid? Beyond the art, galleries themselves also have attractions. They are havens of quiet from the tourist bustle of the streets outside, and more often than not they are air conditioned. Not to mention their usefulness when you find yourself 'caught short' in the middle of the day. There are exceptions - do not expect much peace and quiet in the Louvre or the National Gallery in London. But in seeking out the smaller, more tranquil museums and galleries, you can get a real buzz from the discovery of treasures that have been missed by the 'tick-box' tourist outside. Then, of course, there is the art. In addition to renewing acquaintance with old friends (encounters with whom stand out in my mind - an exquisite Simone Martini Virgin in a blue cloak in Siena, or the fabulous Night Watch by Rembrandt in Amsterdam - am I alone in wanting to shoot the sly Mona Lisa?), I make a point of going to see stuff I have not heard of, because what is the point of art if not to challenge your perceptions? Many towns and cities, too, have wonderful collections that say something about their history, often a real dogs dinner of fine art, applied art, sculpture and objects. The more personal these collections are, the more revealing. But by and large people want to see the special stuff, the Old Masters, the great museums - and here you often have to be clever about choosing times of day when the place will be less crowded, or in certain cases - the Sistine Chapel for example - consider splashing out on a private out of hours tour. Visiting with the hordes of bus tourists, many of whom have queued since early in the morning, can be a gruesome experience. There are two schools of thought of how to enjoy a large museum like the Louvre or the Hermitage. The first is to plan your route carefully, looking for highlights by using their museum guide. Most museums now will helpfully highlight their main attractions. So - arrive at the museum, grab your guide, and then repair to the cafe for a lingering cappuccino and a pencil or highlighter to mark your stops on the map. This method is popular with the tidy mind, the person with limited time, who wants at least to say they have 'seen' such and such. Personally I find that approach way too cold. I prefer the anarchy of wandering in to the first room I see and then following my nose - or a pretty girl - to discover pleasures or terrors I might have missed altogether using method one, while at the same time keeping an eye out for old favourites if I know they are there. Still, it's not exactly efficient, and some will want to get their fixes much more quickly. Last, try to take your time. Do not expect to 'do' a museum in a set amount of time. And always leave time for that cappuccino or panini in the gallery cafe afterwards - some even have great gourmet lunch offerings, like the Louvre or the Tate in London - because you need wind-down time to assimilate and reflect on all you have seen. If you simply step outside into the rat race again the Breughels will soon be forgotten. Stop and look and listen to the messages you are getting - then your day will be immeasurably richer. |
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107 Greatest Works of Art in the World » A Small Selection of Favourites
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Hermitage MuseumArt Collections in Saint Petersburg, Russia The Gosudarstvennyj Èrmitaž or Hermitage Museum, that vast collection of Russian and human art and artefacts, has swollen to fill six buildings, the largest and most appropriate being St. Petersburg’s Winter Palace, once home of the Tzars. This big Baroque building and its contents fit well into the collection began in the mid 18th century by Catherine the Great. Starting with paintings, predominantly from the Old and Dutch Masters, the collection grew to engulf the best private collections put up for sale and expanded from just art into artefacts, relics and gold, including important pieces from Classical cultures from Greece, Rome and Eqypt and a huge collection of ancient gold. It was Nicholas I who ordered the ordering and opening of the Hermitage to the public. In 1852 the first building was the first purpose built gallery in Eastern Europe. The Revolution nationalised the museum property further and 'absorbed' up the personal collections of the Tzars, including work collected by Catherine’s forebear, Peter the Great and other wealthy families long associated with Russian rulers which bolstered up the collection with those of the Catherine and Alexander Palaces, known for their Old Masters and modern works by Picasso, Matisse and Van Gogh. With more than three million items and having expanded over six buildings and in other pockets around the world, the Hermitage Collection is best known for it’s Russian regalia and Faberge collections as well as excellent collections of the works of Gaugin, Monet, Rodin, Renior, da Vinci, Rembrant, Michelangelo and Rubens. It also has collections from pre-history and the east, strong in Siberian and Central Asian Art. If you’re unable to make the excursion to Russia you can go via proxy by watching the excellent film, Russian Ark, you will get to see 33 of The Hermitage’s rooms and wander the corridors filled with actors reconstructing periods in Russia’s illustrious past.
Review by Photo by flickr user tore_urnes |
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Uffizi GalleryArt Collections in Florence, Italy Much of the Uffizi's collection was once owned by the Medici family, a member of which originally commissioned the building in 1560. The Uffizi provides a wonderful overview of Italy's artistic heritage - the thousands of works of art encompass Greek and Roman sculptures, Renaissance and Baroque paintings, including iconic works such as Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Titian's Venus of Urbino.
Review by Photo by flickr user Darren and Brad |
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Kunsthistorisches MuseumArt Collections in Vienna, Austria This charming, elaborate building houses fine and decorative artworks gathered by the empire-building Habsburgs. As well as works by great European masters, there are fine examples of work from Egypt and Ancient Greece.
Review by Photo by flickr user Cebete |
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Philadelphia Museum of ArtArt Collections in Philadelphia, United States Philadelphia's Museum of Art is one of the largest of the US museums; the grand neoclassical building is a city icon. It houses masterpieces of painting, sculpture, decorative arts and architecture from Europe, Asia and the Americas. There are some significant highlights: Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, such as Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Cezanne's Large Bather; a famous collection of Oriental carpets; furniture and silverwork by early Philadelphia craftsmen.
Review by Photo by flickr user srett |
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Tate ModernArt Collections in London, United Kingdom Tate Modern, which opened in 2000, is Britain's national museum of international modern art and a London landmark. The conversion of the Bankside Power Station which houses the gallery was a triumph, providing dramatic exhibition space for artists from Monet to Andy Warhol. The grand central Turbine Hall hosts site-specific installations.
Review by Photo by flickr user simiant |
