Style

Exposure to different cultures, art forms, and techniques can open up new possibilities for artists and greatly influence their creative journey. By visiting renowned museums, Don has had the opportunity to immerse himself in the works of countless influential artists from various time periods and styles. This exposure to a diverse range of art can inspire new ideas, broaden artistic sensibilities, and contribute to the development of Don's own unique style as a painter. Appreciating the work of great artists from the past can be immensely enriching and provide valuable insights into different artistic approaches.

Number 1

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most well-known museums in New York City, and for good reason. Its statement of purpose is, in essence, to bring art and education to the American people. It has expressed its desire to expose people to its collection of “more than two million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe” (Metropolitan Museum of Art). It boasts of presenting the best, or near-best, collections of international art, and does so in the interest of appealing to a wide range of audiences, from school-age children to art students, from tourists to teachers. To further its goals, the museum provides training programs for teachers, as well.

Number 2

The Hermitage founded in 1764 by Catherine the Great, the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia is a massive museum of art and culture showing the highlights of a collection of over 3 million items spanning the globe. A popular tourist attraction, the Hermitage is truly one of the best museums in the world, with an imposing setting displaying priceless works by Rembrandt, Da Vinci, Michealangelo, Reubens, and more. The collections occupy a large complex of six historic buildings including the Winter Palace, a former residence of Russian emperors.

Number 3

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1937 by philanthropist Solomon R. Guggenheim and his long-time art advisor, artist Hilla von Rebay. The foundation is a leading institution for the collection, preservation, and research of modern and contemporary art and operates several museums around the world. The first museum established by the foundation was The Museum of Non-Objective Painting, in New York City. This became The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1952, and the foundation moved the collection into its first permanent museum building, in New York City, in 1959. The foundation next opened the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, in 1980. Its international network of museums expanded in 1997 to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain, and it expects to open a new museum, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates in 2017.

Number 4

Rembrandt 15 July 1606[1] – 4 October 1669) was a Dutch painter and etcher. He is generally considered one of the greatest painters and printmakers in European art and the most important in Dutch history.[3] His contributions to art came in a period of great wealth and cultural achievement that historians call the Dutch Golden Age when Dutch Golden Age painting, although in many ways antithetical to the Baroque style that dominated Europe was extremely prolific and innovative and gave rise to important new genres in painting.

Number 5

One of the top museums in Spain, The Prado Museum in Madrid features some of the best collections of European art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century. The best-known works on display at the museum are the Majas of Goya (La Maja Vestida and La Maja Desnuda) and Las Meninas by Velázquez. Velázquez not only provided the Prado with his own works, but his keen eye and sensibility were also responsible for bringing much of the museum’s fine collection of Italian masters to Spain.

Number 6

The stunning ground floor gallery houses finds from the slopes of the Acropolis. Its amazing transparent glass floor provides a walk over history, with a view of the archaeological excavation, while sloping upward to the Acropolis with sanctuaries of the Athenians from each historic period nearby. Smaller settlements have been excavated, yielding glimpses of Athenian life. For the first time, the exhibits in the Archaic Gallery allow visitors to take in all sides of the objects, which are displayed in open spaces characterized by changing natural light.

Number 7

The Smithsonian is the world’s largest research and museum complex, with 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and various research stations. More than 137 million objects detailing America’s story is housed here, so you’d better prepare for a long week of walking. There’s so much to see that, if you spent one minute day and night looking at each object on exhibit, in ten years you’d see only ten percent of the whole. Therefore, it’s wise to head out with a plan. Focus on only one or two exhibits at two or three different museums.

Number 8

The Louvre in Paris is one of the world’s largest and most visited art museums in the world. The museum opened in 1793 and is housed in the Louvre Palace, a former royal palace. The famous glass pyramid which in the main courtyard of the Louvre Palace was added in 1989 and serves as the main entrance to the museum. Its exhibits come from such diverse origins as ancient Egypt, classical Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and Napoleonic France. Its most famous exhibit, of course, is Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the Mona Lisa, generally to be found surrounded by hordes of camera-flashing tourists.

Number 9

Founded by Pope Julius II in the 6th century, the Vatican Museums inside the Vatican City in Rome are among the best museums in the world. The museums are most famous for the spiral staircase, the Raphael Rooms, and the exquisitely decorated Sistine Chapel. Under the patronage of Pope Julius II, Michelangelo painted the chapel ceiling between 1508 and 1512. Today the ceiling, and especially The Last Judgment, is widely believed to be Michelangelo’s crowning achievements in painting.

Number 10

Home to at least 120,000 items of ancient Egyptian antiquities, the Egyptian Museum in Cairo is one of the world’s best museums. There are two main floors of the museum, the ground floor, and the first floor. On the ground floor, there is an extensive collection of papyrus and coins used by the ancient Egyptians. On the first floor, there are artifacts from the final two dynasties of Ancient Egypt and also many artifacts taken from the Valley of the Kings. Highlights include the objects from the Tomb of Tutankhamen and the Royal Mummy Room containing 27 royal mummies from pharaonic times.