20 Museums With The Most Beautiful Design
These buildings will make you do a double take.
From Paris to Seville, these stunning museum buildings are a must-see for architecture buffs and culture enthusiasts alike.
La Cité du Vin in Bordeaux, France
As a cultural facility dedicated to the heritage of wine, La Cité du Vin is pretty much a vino lover’s dream. But the building itself is pretty impressive, too. Set right on the banks of the Garonne River, the design, by Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières from XTU architects, speaks to wine's liquid nature, as reflections of the river bounce off the structure.
Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Right in the heart of the Arts District in downtown Edmonton, the Art Gallery of Alberta stands out for its unique design. Inspired by the city’s environment, architect Randall Stout juxtaposed angular windows against a winding steel ribbon to reference the forms of the North Saskatchewan River and Aurora Borealis.
ArtScience Museum in Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
The bold lotus-shaped design of Singapore’s ArtScience Museum is an embodiment of its mission. With 21 gallery spaces across three floors, it’s the ultimate destination to discover how art, science, technology and culture shape our society.
Aspen Art Museum in Aspen, Colorado
For his design of the Aspen Art Museum, 2014 Pritzker Prize–winning Architect Shigeru Ban sought to create harmony between Aspen’s existing architecture and the surrounding landscape. Not only does the 33,000 square-foot building highlight the best in international contemporary art, the structure is also environmentally sustainable.
Lille Metropolitan Museum in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France
With more than 6,500 works, the Lille Metropolitan Museum of modern art, contemporary art and Art Brut (works made outside the academic tradition of art) remains an iconic building in France. Originally designed by Roland Simounet in 1983, these beautifully perforated snaking galleries by Manuelle Gautrand were added in 2010 to accommodate the museum’s Art Brut collection.
Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris, France
While the museum is dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions, the Louis Vuitton Foundation is an architectural wonder in itself. The 3,600 panels that form the building’s 12 sails are made from glass curved to the nearest millimeter. Renowned architect Frank Gehry’s bold vision makes for a striking view.
Metropol Parasol in Seville, Spain
With impressive interweaving timber structures that sprout up like mushrooms, the Metropol Parasol stands as one of Seville’s most fascinating cultural destinations. Additionally, the building by German architect Jürgen Mayer offers an archaeological museum, a farmers market, an elevated plaza, plus bars and restaurants underneath and inside the parasols.
Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Even more impressive than the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection of art — the facility contains more than 30,000 works — is the building’s Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. From a cathedral-like space with a vaulted 90-foot-high glass ceiling to a moveable sunscreen that unfolds and folds twice daily, the building is a true sight to behold.
Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden, Germany
Germany’s Military History Museum seeks to challenge visitors’ perspectives on war and violence. So it’s fitting that the building’s design is just as thought-provoking. The new extension completed by U.S. architect Daniel Libeskind in 2011 is shaped like a wedge, cutting through the old arsenal. The play of light and shade produced by the new wedge is meant to symbolize the eventful military history of Germany.
California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, California
Located in the lovely Golden Gate Park, the California Academy of Sciences is not only an architectural beauty, but also in tune with nature. An estimated 1.7 million plants fill the trays atop the building’s Living Roof, which also serves as a habitat for birds, butterflies and other local wildlife.
National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.
The distinctive curvilinear structure of the National Museum of the American Indian has a unique connection to nature. Resembling a wind-sculpted rock formation, the design makes specific celestial references that reflect the Native universe — the main entrance faces to the east while the dome opens up to the sky.
Ordos Museum in Inner Mongolia, China
The City and Art Museum of Ordos is like something from another world. The architects of MAD chose to wrap the structure in polished metal, serving as a protection from harsh winters and frequent sand storms. But it also serves a metaphorical purpose: protecting the culture and history of the city.
Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Ontario
The Royal Ontario Museum’s Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, added on to the original structure in 2007, stands as a symbol of Toronto for the 21st century. Architect Daniel Libeskind’s design is composed of five interlocking prismatic structures, inspired by the museum’s gem and mineral collection.
Salvador Dali Museum, St. Petersburg, Florida
Salvador Dali was known for some pretty astounding and unusual art during his time, so it’s no surprise the building dedicated to his work is equally brilliant. Designed by architect Yann Weymouth of HOK, the Salvador Dali Museum features a large geodesic glass bubble known as the “enigma” erupts from a simple rectangle, celebrating both the rational and fantastical.
Niterói Contemporary Art Museum in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Also known as the MAC, the four-story Niterói Contemporary Art Museum took a total of five years to build before it was completed in 1996. Designed by famed Brazilian architect Oscar Niemayer, with help from structural engineer Bruno Contarini, the iconic saucer-like structure features a collection of more than 1,500 works.
National Aquarium Denmark in Copenhagen, Denmark
It’s quite fitting that the building of the National Aquarium Denmark was inspired by the circulating currents of a whirpool. As visitors step inside the lobby, they begin at the vortex of the whirlpool-design, ultimately making their way through the spiral toward the 53 aquariums and installations beyond.
Musée des Confluences in Lyon, France
Set in an extraordinary structure of metal and glass, the Musée des Confluences’ bold design is in line with its mission. The museum seeks to explore the story of mankind and the history of life around the world by interpreting subjects of anthropology, ethnology and the natural sciences.
The MAXXI in Rome, Italy
Also called the National Museum of the 21st Century Arts, Rome’s the MAXXI is dedicated to showcasing contemporary works of art and architecture. An architectural work itself, the building was designed by Zaha Hadid, whose design was chosen among 273 candidates for the project by the Ministry for Cultural Heritage.
Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar
The building of the Museum of Islamic Art remains an iconic feature of the Doha landscape. The design by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I.M. Pei is topped by a high domed atrium, which features an oculus at the top to capture and reflect patterned light within the dome.
Biomuseo in Panama City, Panama
Another beauty from Frank Gehry, the Biomuseo is his only work in Latin America and the tropics. The building’s design tells the story of how the isthmus of Panama rose from the sea, uniting two continents, separating an ocean in two, and transforming the planet’s biodiversity.
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