Most often, people go to museums to see what’s inside of them, but they don’t always take notice of their exterior. It could be that the most simple architecture from the outside will conceal the surprise of what treasures a museum holds inside, but sometimes the shell is as impressive as the contents.
A&D took a stroll through the internet and picked some photos of museums that are striking from the outside and undoubtedly are works of art themselves.
Which of them have you seen in real life, and which ones would you like to visit? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to upvote the museums whose architecture stunned you the most.
01. Shanghai Museum Of Astronomy, China
The Shanghai Museum of Astronomy opened on 18 July of this year. It is the largest astronomy museum in the world.
Thomas J. Wong designed it. The building doesn’t have straight lines or right angles to reflect the shapes of orbits and the geometry of the cosmos.
The museum has both temporary and permanent exhibitions exploring instruments and artifacts related to astronomy. It also has a 78-foot (24-meter) solar telescope, an observatory, a youth observation camp, and a Digital Sky Theater.
02. State Historical Museum, Russia
The State Historical Museum in Moscow, established in 1872, is located on Red Square’s north side.
Vladimir Osipovich Sherwood designed the easily recognizable building in Neo-Russian style.
It is a historical museum that aims to preserve Russia’s past. The museum features thrilling exhibits, including an excavated longboat from the banks of the Volga River and manuscripts dating back to the 6th century.
03. Zeitz Mocaa, South Africa
The Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa opened in Cape Town on 22 September 2017. It is the largest museum of contemporary African art in the world.
Thomas Heatherwick, a London-based designer, designed the museum. It was born by transforming a grain silo that its owners no longer used.
The museum houses art by sculptors, photographers, and painters who work all across Africa.
04. The Museum Of Islamic Art, Qatar
The Museum of Islamic Art opened in 2008. Its collection includes pieces dating back 1,400 years. The exhibitions include metalwork, ceramics, jewelry, woodwork, textiles, glass, and manuscripts.
Leoh Ming Pei designed the building, suggesting it be constructed on a human-made peninsula to prevent other buildings from overshadowing it. The mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo, Egypt, mostly inspired the architect.
05. Erawan Museum, Thailand
The Erawan Museum in Bangkok opened in 2003 and is well known for its three-headed elephant shape.
The museum is Lek Viriyapant’s vision, which came true. The elephant is made of bronze and weighs 250 tons. Part of the museum is actually in the elephant.
There are things to see inside, too: Chinese vases from the Ming and Qing dynasties, arts like European ceramics, relics, and statues of Buddha.
06. Salvador Dali Museum, U. S.
The Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, was founded in 1982. The new building, with its glass entryway and skylight, opened on 11 January 2011.
Yann Weymouth designed the museum addition. The glass bubble, the enigma, comprises 1,062 triangular pieces of glass.
The museum houses 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures, and other items. One of Dali’s most famous pieces, The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory, is housed in this museum.
07. Guggenheim Bilbao Museum, Spain
Guggenheim Bilbao Museum is a contemporary art museum in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. It opened on 18 October 1997 and is still one of the country’s most prominent museums.
Frank Gehry architected this innovative design. The architects designed the exterior with random curvy lines and covered it with 33,000 skinny titanium sheets. Some critics think the titanium sheets resemble fish scales, which is appropriate as the building is constructed alongside the Nervion River.
The museum constantly changes its exhibitions and likes to choose a theme, like Russian contemporary art. What you can see the most is Avant-garde art, 20th-century abstraction, and non-objective art. The only permanent exhibit is The Matter of Time, a sculpture installation of eight pieces by the U.S. sculptor Richard Serra.
08. Museo De Arte Tigre, Argentina
The Museo de Arte Tigre in Buenos Aires was built in 1912. Initially, it was a luxurious club for the rich and famous, but it was opened in 2006 as an art museum.
Pablo Pater and Luis Dubois designed the elegant building following French-Italian architecture styles.
The primary collection consists of Argentine art from the 19th and 20th centuries, but the interior is also a work of art, with Venetian mirrors and French chandeliers.
09. National Museum Of Qatar
The National Museum of Qatar was opened in 2019 and is dedicated to showcasing the story of Qatar and its nation.
Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel designed the intricate building. The desert inspired it rose, which is found in Qatar’s desert regions.
The museum has 11 galleries, each offering a different experience. The stories are told by triggering people’s senses by combining sound, images, videos, and even smell.
10. Milwaukee Art Museum, U.S.
The Milwaukee Art Museum was founded in 1888 and now has gathered a collection of 30,000 works of art.
The most intriguing part of the museum is the Quadracci Pavilion, designed by Santiago Calatrava and opened in 2001. The building has moving wings that change position depending on the time of the day to provide shade.
The collection includes art from antiquity to the present, including paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, decorative arts, photographs, and folk and self-taught art.
11. City Of Arts And Sciences, Spain
The City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia is a cultural and architectural complex that opened in 1998. It houses a planetarium, a cinema, a museum, and event auditoriums.
Santiago Calatrava and Félix Candela designed the complex, which includes a museum resembling a whale skeleton.
The museum is dedicated to science, technology, and the environment. It’s a very interactive museum where you learn through touch and experience.
12. Museum Of The Future, UAE
The Museum of the Future is due to open later this year. It is expected to be a new landmark for the UAE, just a seven-minute drive from the Burj Khalifa skyscraper.
The architectural firm Killa Design designed the torus-shaped building, which is 77 meters high (253 feet) and covered in Arabic calligraphy. The calligraphy is not random; it is a line from a poem by ruler Sheikh Al Maktoum.
The UAE always strives to develop, and a museum dedicated to the future is a perfect symbol. It will be an incubator for ideas: you will see technology that will hopefully be turned into reality, benefiting people and improving our lives.
13. Jewish Museum, Berlin
The Jewish Museum Berlin opened in 2001. It is the largest museum in Europe, focusing only on Jewish history. Even before it was finished in 1999, the museum design was awarded the German Architecture Prize.
The building consists of two parts: a Baroque building and a newer building that came to reality from the designs of Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind. The building’s characteristic features are the voids, empty rooms, dead ends, and dim lighting, all of which create an atmosphere of loss and absence caused by the Holocaust.
The museum mainly focuses on the history of Jews in Germany, and the story they tell goes back to the Middle Ages and continues to the present day.
14. Art Gallery Of Alberta, Canada
The museum was first established as the Edmonton Museum of Arts in 1924. The modern building where the gallery is was opened in 2010.
The gallery chose Randall Stout as the architect for its building design. Stout created stainless steel curves that resemble the northern lights, which are characteristic of Alberta.
The gallery primarily showcases works of art, such as sculptures, paintings, and photographs, created by artists from Alberta or Western Canada. Most of these works were produced after the 1950s.
15. Ordos Museum, China
The Ordos Museum in China is an art and history museum that opened in 2011.
MAD Architects designed it as an amorphous building inspired by the Gobi Desert, where the museum is located.
The museum’s collection presents the history of the surrounding area and Mongolian history.
16. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, U.S.
The museum, which houses Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art, was founded in 1939 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim. At first, it stayed in rented spaces, but in 1959, it moved to the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the building to which it moved. The architect’s last project was one of his most extensive and famous works.
The Guggenheim Museum is a spot of attraction, and it has been a UNESCO site as part of The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright since 2019.
17. Andalusia Museum Of Memory, Spain
The Andalusia Museum of Memory, located in Granada, was finished in 2009. It focuses on the history of Andalusia, as the inhabitants of this land were once called the most educated of the Iberians.
Alberto Campo Baeza designed the project. The architect organized it around a central courtyard with elliptical traces. He developed helical ramps within this courtyard that connected the three levels and created a spatial tension of great interest.”
After visiting this museum, you will leave with detailed information about Andalusia’s history.
18. Heydar Aliyev Center, Azerbaijan
Zaha Hadid designed the Heydar Aliyev Center to appear fluid and undulating, and it opened on 10 May 2012 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.
The Center is named after Heydar Aliyev, who served as the first secretary of Soviet Azerbaijan from 1969 to 1982 and as the president of the Azerbaijan Republic from 1993 to 2003. It is a unique building. 2014, the Center won the Design Museum’s Design of the Year Award. This was an important win, as it meant that the designer Zaha Hadid was the first woman to win the top prize in that competition.
The Center is complex and has a conference hall, a gallery hall, and a museum. The former is the most exciting part of the establishment; it showcases Azerbaijan’s history and the impact the leader Heydar Aliyev had on it.
19. M/S Maritime Museum Of Denmark, Denmark
The M/S Maritime Museum of Denmark was established in 1915 and moved in 2013. It showcases Danish trade and shipping from the 15th century to the present.
The new museum was designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). Its location is attractive: It’s underground, built in a former Helsingør dry dock. The dock remains empty, and the museum is on the ramps and bridges crossing it.
The museum has received several awards for its unique design, including the Architizer A+ Award, the 2014 RIBA EU Award, and the AIANY Design Award 2014.
20. Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum, Brazil
Niteroi Contemporary Art Museum is located in Niterói and has been one of the city’s prominent landmarks since it opened in 1966.
The unusual and futuristic shape, which resembles a flying saucer, was an idea by the designer Oscar Niemeyer. The architect described his work as a ‘flower growing from the rocks.’
The main chunk of the museum’s collection is 1,200 pieces that art collector João Sattamini gifted. They are primarily works of Brazilian artists from the 1950s to the early 1990s.
21. Luma Foundation, France
The Luma Foundation in Arles opened on 26 June this year. It is a contemporary art museum and cultural Center with seminar rooms, exhibition spaces, research facilities, an auditorium, and a cafe.
Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting inspired the museum’s architect, Frank Gehry.
The part of the building that catches the eye is the tower. It’s 56 meters (184 feet) high and comprises 10,752 stainless steel panels arranged irregularly.
22. National Museum Of African American History And Culture, U.S.
The National Museum of African American History And Culture is on the National Mall, a park in Washington. It opened on 24 September 2016, and President Obama led the ceremony.
David Adjaye, born in Ghana, designed the museum, drawing inspiration from the three-tiered crowns used in Yoruban art from West Africa. The museum’s exterior features an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice that pays homage to ironwork crafted by enslaved African Americans.
This museum is the largest museum dedicated to African American history and culture. You can dive into African American history at this museum and learn how it impacted this nation’s present. The collection includes more than 36,000 artifacts of the arts, slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, athletics, and more.
23. Museum Aan De Stroom, Belgium
The Museum Aan de Stroom, translated from Dutch, which means ‘Museum by the River,’ opened in May 2011, and it is the largest museum in Belgium’s port city, Antwerp.
Neutelings Riedijk Architects designed the museum. Its building, with its Indian red sandstone and curved glass inserts, exemplifies postmodern Art Deco architecture.
Its collection includes maritime objects, artifacts telling the city’s history, and art exhibitions.
24. Royal Ontario Museum, Canada
The Royal Ontario Museum was established in 1912 and is Canada’s largest museum.
Daniel Libeskind designed the Crystal section of the museum, which was added in 2007. The museum moved its entrance to the Crystal, perfectly combining the old and the new.
The museum has an impressive collection of over 6,000,000 items, including dinosaurs, meteorites, historical artifacts worldwide, fossils, and art pieces.
25. Museu Do Amanhã, Brazil
The Portuguese name Museu do Amanhã means “The Museum of Tomorrow,” and it is a science museum that opened in 2015 in Rio de Janeiro.
Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava designed the structure. Its shape was inspired by bromeliads, an attraction in the city’s Botanical Garden.
The museum’s collections explore challenges humans will face in the future, such as sustainability, but they also focus on opportunities in the coming days.
26. Design Museum Holon, Israel
The Design Museum Holon opened on 3 March 2010. It is the first museum in Israel dedicated to design.
Ron Arad designed the building, which features a distinctive exterior of five colorful steel bands that undulate together in parts and separate later.
The interior rooms, which are box-like in layout, showcase Israeli design from the 1930s to today, with regularly updated exhibitions on fashion and trends.
27. V&A Dundee, Scotland
V&A Dundee was opened on 15 September 2018, and it is the first design museum in Scotland. It is a sister museum to London’s Victoria & Albert Museum, and V&A Dundee is the first to open outside London.
Japanese architect Kengo Kuma designed the building and the newly completed stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The museum comprises 2,500 panels weighing 3,000 kilograms (6,614 pounds) and features non-linear exterior walls.
The temporary exhibitions showcase the best designs from around the world, both past and present. The permanent exhibitions feature Scottish designs. In the galleries, you can see examples of architecture, engineering, fashion and furniture, ceramics, healthcare, jewelry, textiles, video game design, and more.
28. Soumaya Museum, Mexico
The original Museum Soumaya building opened in 1994, and the new one opened in 2011.
Fernando Romero designed the newer building. The museum’s peculiar form is a rotated rhomboid covered in 16,000 hexagonal mirrored steel pieces.
The Soumaya Museum is private and has an impressive collection of 70,000 pieces, including works by Salvador Dali and Tintoretto. The collection also includes sculptures from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica and 19th—and 20th-century Mexican art.
29. Studio Bell, Canada
The Studio Bell in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, is the museum space of The National Music Centre. Allied Works Architecture designed the building, comprising nine interlocking towers, and it features more than 2,000 rare instruments and artifacts, including one of Elton John’s pianos. The building’s shiny panels are made of glazed terra cotta.
30. Neue Nationalgalerie, Germany
The Neue Nationalgalerie, or the New National Gallery, is a museum for modern art in Berlin. It was first opened in 1968 and closed in 2015 for renovations. It will reopen on 22 August 2021.
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe designed this building, which was described as a modern glass temple.
The most significant part of the collection features art from the 20th century. The museum has pieces by artists like Pablo Picasso, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Joan Miró.
31. Hanoi Museum, Vietnam
The Hanoi Museum was opened in 2010 to celebrate the 1,000th birthday of the capital of Vietnam.
GMP Architekten designed it, and it looks like an inverted pyramid. This shape helps save energy, as the top floors provide shade for the bottom.
The museum has a rich collection of over 50,000 artifacts from a thousand years ago. They showcase Vietnam’s history, culture, heritage, and architecture.
TK Kurikawa / Shutterstock
32. Denver Art Museum, U.S.
The Denver Artists Club began the Denver Art Museum in 1893. However, the museum building depicted in the photo was constructed in 2006.
Studio Daniel Libeskind and Denver firm Davis Partnership Architects designed the Frederic C. Hamilton Building. It has an easily recognizable angular shape and is clad with glass and titanium.
The Hamilton Building houses collections of contemporary and modern art. You can also find collections of Oceanic and African Art.
33. Centre Georges Pompidou, France
The contemporary art museum in Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, opened in 1977 and is an example of “inside-out” design.
Two architects, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, completed the project. The most recognizable part of the building is the escalator, called the “caterpillar.” It is the primary way to go up and down.
The Pompidou Centre is a contemporary art museum, the largest in Europe. It also houses the Public Information Library and a music and acoustic research center. At the top of the building is a restaurant with one of the most beautiful views.
34. Louis Vuitton Foundation, France
The Louis Vuitton Foundation in Paris opened on 27 October 2014. It is an art museum with a cultural center.
The building is another work of the architect Frank Gehry. The 19th-century glass gardens inspired him. The Foundation sponsors itself with the help of LVMH and Bernard Arnault, who own the collection comprising 3,600 glass panels and 19,000 concrete panels forming the facade. You can find pieces by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Gilbert & George, and Jeff Koons there.
Haven In Paris, Italy & Beyond
35. MAXXI National Museum, Italy
The full name of the museum is Museo nazionale delle arti del XXI secolo, i. e. “national museum of 21st-century arts.” It opened its doors in 2010 and is the first in Italy to focus on contemporary art.
Zaha Hadid designed the building. The walls look heavy from the outside but feel dynamic with all the curves and intersections.
The Royal Institute of British Architects awarded The Stirling Prize for architecture to the museum in the same year it opened.
36. Museu De Arte Do Rio, Brazil
Architects Bernardes + Jacobsen designed the Museu de Arte do Rio, which opened on 1 March 2013 in the heart of Rio de Janeiro. The museum showcases contemporary arts and hosts performances.
The exhibitions are in the Dom João VI Mansion, which constitutes the first part of the building. The other is a more modern building that was initially a bus station and now houses workshops, a library, and the administration.
The museum opened in 2013 and won a prestigious award for its design, the Architizer A+ Award.
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