Friday, January 18, 2013

Museums (and Crystal Bridges)

On a recent business trip, I had an opportunity to revisit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas.  I was even more impressed by the architecture and collection than last time, particularly the temporary exhibit on architect Moshe Safdie who designed the museum.



I've been to a lot of museums in my travels over the years... among my favorites?  (with more photos from Crystal Bridges smattered in there)

For art/architecture...
  • The Getty Center, Los Angeles, CA
  • The Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, FL
  • The Louvre & Musee D'Orsay in Paris, France
  • British Museum, Tower of London, and Victoria & Albert Museum in London, England
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
  • Crystal Bridges, Bentonville, AR
  • Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain

For history...
  • Tower of London, London
  • Versailles, Paris (it totally counts in my book!)
  • Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
  • Smithsonian Museum, Mount Vernon, Washington, DC
  • National WWII Museum, New Orleans, LA
  • Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
  • Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA

For just plain quirky...
  • Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, IL
  • Tate Modern in London
  • Centre Pompidou, Musee Picasso, in Paris
  • Graceland, Memphis, TN
  • LACMA, Los Angeles, CA

What are your favorite museums?

2 comments:

  1. I agree with a lot of yours--I loved the Tate Modern. I think my favorite museums are often the smaller, local ones. My local historical museum is fascinating to me, and I once went to the Donora Smog Museum which was bizarre but enjoyable. While I love a large, beautiful collection those smaller oddball collections get me every time. :)

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    Replies
    1. Yes, and the docents/volunteers at smaller museums are so knowledgeable since it is more intimate. That's why the Musee Picasso is on my list, it feels like walking through a large home that has all of the art within it. It doesn't feel massive and stressful like the Louvre, which made my list mostly because I had a year-long pass and went in so many times to really explore it, vs. just checking out the Mona Lisa/Winged Victory/Venus de Milo.

      Crystal Bridges in Arkansas doesn't feel huge or rushed. It is so impressive, you can't believe it's in Arkansas. And one of the docents tagged along with me, pointing out things about paintings I would never have known! Best of all? It's 100% free, as was the British Museum when I went. :)

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