30+ Amazing Small Museums With Supersized Collections

Looking for some excellent museums to put on your art bucket list?

Here’s my guide to 30 of the world’s best small museums. Despite their size, these small museums have giant art collections.

The Thinker at the Rodin Museum in Paris
The Thinker at the Rodin Museum in Paris

Great art often hides in less famous sites. These little gems preach quality over quantity.

They boast magnificent — and sometimes overlooked — treasure trove collections. On a visit, you may feel like you’ve been let in on a special secret.

Some of these stunners display art work amid original period settings, for a true yesteryear experience. Some house single artist or thematic collections, which can be so revelatory.

Pinterest pin for best small museums
Pinterest pin for best small museums

Everyone loves places like the Louvre. But sometimes a large museum, with miles and miles of art, just produces museum fatigue.

In contrast, with a small museum, you can take a deep dive into the beautiful art on display. And you usually get to admire the art in peace and quiet without being jostled by selfie stick wielding tourists.

This all leads to a more profound experience, where peace and elegance trump chaos and crowds.

beautiful room in the Musee Marmottan Monet
beautiful room in the Musee Marmottan Monet

World’s Best Small Museums

Here are my picks for the 30 best small museums in the world, for your art or museum bucket list. I’ve focused on intimate museums in the United States and Europe, which is my niche.

1. Musee Marmottan Monet, Paris France

The Musée Marmottan Monet is a small jewel of a museum, tucked away in Paris’ sleepy posh 16th arrondissement. Because of its far flung location, it’s largely devoid of tourist throngs.

The Musée Marmottan Monet was once home to art critic and collector Paul Marmottan, who bequeathed his collection of Napoleonic art objects.

It has a specially built basement gallery with an exceptional overview of Claude Monet’s art work. In fact, it’s the world’s largest Monet collection.

READ: 3 Day Impressionism Tour of Paris

There are over 300 pieces, from his early caricatures to his late works from his gardens in Giverny. The museum has paintings by fellow Impressionists Renoir, Degas, Gauguin, Manet, and Morisot.

The museum also has Monet’s famous painting, Impression, Sunrise. The painting is significant because it gave birth to the name of the art movement. It was first shown at what was derogatorily dubbed the “Exhibition of the Impressionists” in 1874.

Click here to book a skip the line ticket. Click here to book a ticket + guided tour to this gem of a museum.

READ: The Impressionism Trail in Normandy

  • Address: 2 rue Louis Boilly 75016 Paris, France
  • Hours: Daily: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Thursday until 9:00 pm, closed Mondays
  • Entry: € 14.50
  • Metro: Line 9 to La Muette
  • Website
Van Gogh gallery in the Kröller-Müller Museum
Van Gogh gallery in the Kröller-Müller Museum

2. Kröller-Müller Museum, Netherlands

Almost every continent has a museum with Van Gogh paintings on display.

But one of the best, and often overlooked, is the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo Netherlands. The museum is about an hour outside of Amsterdam.

Kröller-Müller is a museum of modern and contemporary art with more than 20,000 pieces in its collection. It’s a great place to see the development of modern art, from the first Impressionist painters to some significant contemporary artists.

Most significantly, the Kröller-Müller Museum is Vincent Van Gogh’s second home. With almost 90 paintings and over 180 drawings, the museum has the world’s second largest Van Gogh collection.

Some of Van Gogh’s most famous masterpieces are here — Cafe Terrace at Night, The Potato Eaters, Self-Portrait, Portrait of Joseph Roulin, and The Sower.

On top of that, the museum has paintings by Seurat, Mondrian, and Picasso. It also boasts one of the largest sculpture gardens in all of Europe.

If you plan to visit, click here to book an entrance ticket.

  • Address: Houtkampweg 6 6731 AW Otterlo
  • Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Entry fee: € 12.50
  • Website
Antonio Canaletto, View of Venice, 1734-35
Antonio Canaletto, View of Venice, 1734-35 — in the John Soane Museum

3. Sir John Soane Museum, London England

Sir John Soane was one of Britain’s foremost Neo-Classical architects. He created his own museum, and you can feel his spirit and legacy in the cluttered, bejeweled place.

Built in 1812, Sloane designed the gloomily-lit house-museum to hold his vast collection of art and objects from around the world. Soane sometimes used his museum as an educational tool, quizzing his students on the derivation of a frieze or painting.

Soane bequeathed his museum to England on the condition that nothing be changed or moved. The Soane museum was lovingly restored and, as was the plan, is nearly identical to when Sloane died in 1837.

William Hogarth, The Rake's Progress, 1732-34
William Hogarth, The Rake’s Progress, 1732-34

Soane was a curiosity collector. He purchased art based on whether it amused or interest him, not on its intrinsic significance. You’ll find a mishmash of Roman, Greek, and Egyptian artifacts, urns, statues, and vases.

There are also some world class paintings, including ones by Watteau, Turner, Canaletto, and William Thomas Beckford.

Of special note are the paintings by 18th century artist and satirist William Hogarth. Hogarth satirizes the foibles and morality of society. In The Rake’s Progress series, a young man inherits a fortune and blithely squanders it.

  • Address: 13 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Holborn London
  • Hours: Wednesday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, last entry at 4:30
  • Entry fee: free
  • Pro tip: On the first Tuesday of the month, there’s an evening candlelit tour.
  • Website
gallery full of Renoirs in the Barnes Foundation
gallery full of Renoirs in the Barnes Foundation

4. Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia US

The Barnes Foundation is a must see site in Philadelphia. It’s one of the country’s best and most impressive museums.

The Barnes Foundation was founded in 1922 by art collector Albert C. Barnes. He loved art and was impassioned to share his appreciation.

He established himself as a “bold and ambitious” collector. He spent a fortune buying up Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings from then up and coming artists like Henri Matisse, Auguste Renoir, Paul Cezanne, and Pablo Picasso.

As a result, the Barnes Foundation houses an unparalleled one-of-a-kind collection of rare Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.

You’ll find masterpieces by Picasso, Matisse, Seurat, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Chaime Soutine. There’s an astonishing 181 Renoirs alone.

The paintings are hung helter skelter on the walls, in a dense clutter amidst medieval artwork, relics, and furniture. Barnes intentionally left the paintings un-curated and unlabeled.

Here’s my guide to the Barnes Foundation and its rather colorful and controversial history. You can also check out my 2 days in Philadelphia itinerary if you plan to visit the city.

  • Address: 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130
  • Hours: Monday & Wednesday through Sun: 9:30 am to 6:00 pm, Friday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday Closed
  • Entry fee: $25, college students & under 18 $5
  • Website
the Rodin Museum in Paris, housed in the gorgeous Hotel Biron
the Rodin Museum in Paris, housed in the gorgeous Hotel Biron

5. Rodin Museum, Paris France

Opened in 1919, the Rodin Museum is a shrine to the complex life and oeuvre of one of France’s most revered artists, Auguste Rodin. The Rodin Museum is one of the best small museums in Paris.

Rodin is considered the father of modern sculpture. He was absurdly talented, his works a torrent of expressive power.

Rodin’s titular museum is housed in the 18th century Hotel Biron, a romantic mansion where Rodin created some of his greatest works.

Camille Claudel Room at the Rodin Museum in Paris with her masterpiece The Age of Maturity
Camille Claudel Room at the Rodin Museum in Paris

The museum’s permanent collection includes many iconic Rodin sculptures and works from Rodin’s brilliant student (and lover) Camille Claudel.

This is where you’ll find The Kiss, Burghers of Calais, The Thinker, and the Gates of Hell.

The Rodin Museum also has a vast and verdant sculpture garden. In it, Rodin hand placed some of his favorite and most iconic sculptures. It’s a pleasure to stroll through and dream.

Here’s my comprehensive guide to the Rodin Museum in Paris. If you plan to visit, click here to pre-purchase a skip the line ticket. Click here to book a 2 hour ticket + guided tour of this lovely museum.

  • Address: 79, rue de Varenne, 7th arrondissement
  • Hours: Tues to Sun 10:00 am to 6:30 pm
  • Entry fee: 14 euros, the sculpture garden is 4 euros extra
  • Website
courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston
courtyard of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston

6. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston US

If you’re an art lover, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a must visit attraction in Boston Massachusetts.

The exquisite Venetian-style palazzo houses gorgeous Italian Renaissance and Dutch Golden Age paintings. And it’s mostly the work of one extraordinary woman — Isabella Stewart Gardner.

Born in New York in 1840, Isabella Stewart Gardner was an arts patron, philanthropist and socialite. While traveling in Europe, Gardner developed a passion for Italian Renaissance art.

Over time, and after inheriting her father’s fortune, she amassed a collection of more than 7,500 paintings and objects spanning antiquity to the 1920s.

John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882 -- in the Spanish Cloister
John Singer Sargent, El Jaleo, 1882 — in the Spanish Cloister

On the first floor, highlights include the Spanish Cloister, the Blue Room, and the Yellow Room.

On the second floor, there’s the Dutch Room, the Raphael Room, the Early Italian Room, and the Tapestry Room. On the third floor, you’ll find the the Veronese Room and the Titian Room.

Some of the must see masterpieces are Titian’s Rape of Europa, Piero della Francesca’s Hercules, Sargent’s El Jaleo, and Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait at Age 23.

There’s also some lovely Botticelli and Raphael paintings, a huge number of Sargent pieces, and a drawing by Michelangelo.

  • Address: 25 Evans Way, Boston MA
  • Hours: 11:00 am to 5:00 pm daily, except Tuesday
  • Entry fee: $20
  • Website

Here’s my complete guide to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Frick Museum. Photo by Michael Bodycomb
Frick Museum. Photo by Michael Bodycomb

7. Frick Museum, New York City US

The Frick Museum is situated in the opulent residence of Henry Clay Frick. It’s one of New York City’s few remaining Gilded Age mansions, spanning an entire city block along Fifth Avenue.

The stunning collection was assembled by Frick, who was a prime player in the “race for the great masters.”

Frick amassed an extraordinary collection of decorative arts and paintings, especially strong in old masters. Like Gardner, he even arranged the paintings himself.

The Frick houses masterpieces from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. It’s home to masterpieces by Vermeer, Ingres, Goya, Fragonard, Velazquez, Whistler, Ingres, and Bellini. There are four Rembrandt paintings.

Amid the hustle and bustle of Manhattan, this is a tranquil spot to travel back in time and soak in some fantastic art.

Right now, the Frick Mansion is undergoing renovations. So, the Frick Collection has been temporarily moved to the Breuer Building on Madison Avenue.

Here’s my complete guide to the Frick Collection.

  • Address: 1 E 70th St, New York, NY 10021
  • Hours: Thurs to Sun 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Entry fee: $22
  • Website
Kimbell Art Museum in Texas
Kimbell Art Museum in Texas

8. Kimbell Art Museum, Ft. Worth Texas US

Opened in 1972, the Kimbell is housed in an iconic building designed by architects Louis Kahn and Renzo Piano.

It’s the perfect example of supreme quality over quantity in a museum, truly one of the best museums in the US. The collection was compiled by self made Texas millionaire Kay Kimbell, who gifted it to Ft. Worth.

The permanent collection has a particulary good old masters presence, with works by Caravaggio, Fra Angelico, Rembrandt, Titian, and Goya.

But it also has modern works by Monet, Cezanne, Picasso, and Matisse.

Look for Caravaggio’s Card Sharps, Georges de la Tour’s The Cheat with the Ace of Clubs, Mantegna’s Madonna and Child, and Bellini’s Christ Blessing.

The Kimbell is also home to the only Michelangelo painting in the United States, The Torment of Saint Anthony.

It’s a small painting Michelangelo created when he was only 12 or 13, revealing his burgeoning talent.

  • Address: 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd, Ft. Worth TX
  • Hours: Click here
  • Entry fee: $18
  • Website
Andy Warhol, silkscreen of Botticelli's Renaissance painting The Birth of Venus, 1984
Andy Warhol, silkscreen of Botticelli’s Renaissance painting The Birth of Venus, 1984

9. Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh PA US

The Andy Warhol Museum is an amazing small museum found in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. This wonderful single artist museum celebrates Pittsburgh’s hippest native son, who made himself a world famous Pop artist.

As the Prince of Pop, Warhol was a hugely significant artist of the second half of the 20th century. Warhol challenged traditional norms of what constituted art.

Warhol cannily merged superficial commerce and fine art. He popularized robotic, mass produced images. With his trademark platinum fright wigs and Rayban sunglasses, he adopted a mythic persona.

Mao Wall in the Warhol Museum
Mao Wall in the Warhol Museum

Opened in 1994, the Andy Warhol Museum is a chic urban venue. It’s an immersive and well curated museum. If you’re a Warholic, you may think you’ve fallen into a fancified version of the factory.

The museum has 7 floors in chronological order. Four of them showcase a decade of Warhol art per floor. You start from the top and work your way down.

You’ll see seminal works from the 1940s to Warhol’s death in 1987, with explanations of Warhol’s creative process. The museum also has a permanent room on the 4th floor for viewing Warhol films.

READ: Top Attractions in Pittsburgh

  • Address: 117 Sandusky Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
  • Hours: Tuesday through Sunday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Friday until 10:00 pm
  • Entry fee: adults $20, children $10
  • Museum parking lot: $8
Clark Institute in Williamstown MA
Clark Institute in Williamstown MA

10. The Clark Institute, Williamstown MA US

Williamstown is also home to the vaunted Clark Art Institute. It’s one of the United State’s best museums, focusing on historic European and American art.

The museum is unique in that it seeks to be both an art museum and a center of learning to expand public appreciation of art.

READ: Best Places To Visit in Massachusetts

The museum has been fully renovated and expanded in a mix of architectural styles. The museum is home to some beautiful works byAmerican Winslow Homer like Undertow and Two Guides.

It also has a world class collection of French Impressionist paintings (30 Renoir paintings!) and some lovely British art by the likes of Sargent, Constable, and Turner.

Look for Degas’ Self Portrait and Dancers in the Classroom, Morisot’s The Bath, and Monet’s Tulip Fields. One of my favorite pieces is Gilbert Stuart’s George Washington.

The Clark Institute is located on a 140 acre compound. It has well marked (and free) hiking trails for year round exploration.

  • Address: 225 South
  • Hours: Tues to Sun 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Entry fee: $20
  • Website
the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, housed in Venice's Palazzo Venier dei Leoni
the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

11. Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice Italy

The Guggenheim Museum is housed in the Palazzo Venier dei Leoni, a must see site along Venice’s Grand Canal.

It holds one of the finest modern art collections in the world. Truly! If you love 20th century art, the golden age of modern art, this museum is a must visit in Venice.

Virtually every piece is a seminal work of art. Guggenheim’s collection includes works from the major movements of Cubism, Surrealism, Futurism, and Abstract Expressionism.

READ: 2 Day Itinerary for Venice

room in the Guggenheim with a Picasso painting and Calder movie
room in the Guggenheim with a Picasso painting and Calder movie

There’s an entire room dedicated to her beloved Jackson Pollack, an artist Guggenheim “discovered.”

You can see works by Picasso, de Chirico, Vassily Kandinsky, Joan Miro, Paul Klee, Max Ernst, Magritte, Willem de Kooning, Salvador Dali, and Alexander Calder.

Here’s my guide to visiting Venice’s Guggenheim Museum. Click here to purchase an entrance ticket. Click here to book a private guided tour of this extraordinary collection of art.

  • Address: 704 Dorsoduro, 30123 Venice
  • Hours: open daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed Tuesday
  • Entry fee: adults €15, students under 26 €9, children under 10 free
  • Website
Paolo Uccello, St. George and the Dragon, 1430-1435, Musee Jacquemart-Andre
Paolo Uccello, St. George and the Dragon, 1430-1435

12. Musee Jacquemart-Andre, Paris France

The Musee Jacquemart-Andre is another oddly overlooked museum, located just off the Champs-Elysees in the 8th arrondissement. It’s usually empty unless there’s a special exhibition.

The collection is housed in a beautiful mansion, which dates to Baron Haussmann’s massive renovation of Paris.

Edouard Andre and Nelie Jacquemart wanted their home to be as grand as the new Paris. So they set about creating a gorgeous art collection and renovating the mansion to showcase their pieces.

And there are some standout masterpieces. The museum has Dutch pieces by Rembrandt and Van Dyke and a large collection of 14th and 15th century Italian art.

Tiepolo, Henri III Being Welcomed to the Contarini Villa, 1745
Tiepolo, Henri III Being Welcomed to the Contarini Villa, 1745

The painting of St. George and the Dragon, shown above, is deemed one of the greatest achievements in Italian Renaissance art. It’s the jewel of the Jacquemart-Andre.

Another astonishing piece is a massive 1745 Tiepolo fresco titled Henri III Being Welcomed to the Contarini Villa. It greets you at the top of the spectacular main stairway.

Here’s my complete guide to the Jacquemart-Andre. Click here to book a skip the line ticket. 

  • Address: 158 boulevard Haussmann Paris
  • Entry fee: € 17. Permanent collection + exhibition is € 15.
  • Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, late hours until 8:30 pm during special exhibitions

Website

beautiful courtyard of the Bargello Museum
beautiful courtyard of the Bargello Museum

13. Bargello Museum, Florence Italy

The National Museum of the Bargello in Florence is one of the world’s best small museums for sculptures lovers. It has a world class collection of Renaissance sculptures.

Despite that, and because Florence is so packed with treasures, the Bargello is a hidden gem in Florence.

In 1865, the Bargello opened as a museum by royal decree. In the 19th century, it was restored to its former glory. The halls and galleries of the Bargello are arranged around a large open courtyard.

Inside the courtyard, you’ll find an arched colonnade, arched windows, and magnificent sculptures. There’s a monumental exterior staircase built in the 14th century by Neri di Fioravante. On the stone wall above the staircase are the coat of arms of aristocratic families that served as judges in Florence.

Donatello Room in the Bargello, with David sculptures by Donatello and Verrochio
Donatello Room in the Bargello

Inside, the Bargello boasts early Michelangelo works, some of Donatello’s most famous sculptures, and works by other famous Renaissance artists like Cellini and Giambologna.

Basically, the Bargello is to Renaissance sculpture what the Uffizi Gallery is to Renaissance painting.

Here’s my complete guide the Bargello Museum. Click here to pre-book a Bargello ticket. Click here to book a ticket + guided tour.

READ: 3 Days in Florence Itinerary

  • Address: Via del Proconsolo 4
  • Hours: Hours vary depending on the season. Typically, the bargello is open from 8:15 am to 1:50 pm. In high season, April to September, it’s open until 4:50 pm.
  • Entry fee: € 11, free the first Sunday of the month. You can also pre-purchase skip the line tickets online at a surcharge.
the Leopold Museum in Vienna's Museumquarter
the Leopold Museum in Vienna’s Museumquarter

14. Leopold Museum, Vienna Austria

Opened in 2001 and situated in Vienna’s Museumsquarter complex, the Leopold Museum holds one of the world’s most important collection of Austrian art.

With over 6,000 art works, the museum has a thematic collection of Art Nouveau and Expressionist masterpieces from the first half of the 20th century. They were assembled by Adolf and Elisabeth Leopold.

READ: 3 Day Itinerary for Vienna

The museum has many works by Egon Schiele, Gustave Klimt, Oscar Kokoshka, and Richard Gerstl. If you’re a Schiele fan, the Leopold Museum has the word’s largest collection.

The museum is home to one of my favorite Klimt’s masterpieces, Death and Life. Death and Life is one of Klimt’s greatest allegories, painted when he was fully formed as a master. In the painting, Klimt used a bold composition with contrasting colors to address the cycle of human life.

Click here to book a skip the line ticket for the museum. For more information, check out my guide to the Leopold Museum.

  • Address: Museumplatz 1, 1070 Vienna
  • Hours: Daily from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, closed Tuesdays, Thur open until 9:00 pm
  • Entry fee: 15 euros
  • Website
the Albertina Museum, housed in the southern tip of the Hofburg Palace
the Albertina Museum

15. Albertina Museum, Vienna Austria

On Albertinaplatz in Vienna, you’ll find the stunning Albertina Museum, housed in (naturally) a palace. Most likely no one will be there.

In contrast, there will be a long line to see Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss at the Belvedere Palace. You can enjoy the beautiful and world renowned art in peace in the museum’s well-lit galleries.

READ: Guide to the Klimt Trail in Vienna

The fantastic Albertina is a veritable treasure trove of art, with a fantastic collection of modern works — over a million pieces of drawings, photographs, graphic prints, paintings, and architectural plans.

Edgar Degas, Two Dancers, 1905
Edgar Degas, Two Dancers, 1905

The most famous of its permanent exhibits is the Batliner Collection, which showcases modern works from Monet to Picasso. You can admire Monet’s water lilies, Post-Impressionism works by Degas, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Gauguin, works of German Expressionism, and a good collection of Picassos.

The Albertina has a very fine collection of graphic art, with drawings by Durer, Michelangelo, Rubens, and Leonardo da Vinci.

It also boasts the world’s largest collection of Durer drawings, almost 140 works. A highlight is Durer’s famous drawing of a hare. It’s so fragile that it’s only on display occasionally.

The Albertina also hosts temporary exhibitions featuring big art names. When I was last there, they featured Durer, Germany’s most famous artist.

  • Address: Albertinaplatz 1, 1010 Vienna
  • Hours: Open daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Entry fee: 18.90 euros
  • Website
Lenbachhaus Museum
Lenbachhaus Museum

16. Lenbachhaus Museum, Munich Germany

If you’re going to Germany soon, put the Lenbachhaus Museum on your Munich itinerary. The stunning gold museum has a soaring atrium which glitters with a whirl of colored glass and steel.

The new three story wing, designed by Norman Foster, houses an incredible collection of early 20th century Expressionist and Blue Rider works.

These artists were leading pioneers of classic modernism.

You’ll find pieces by Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, and Paul Klee. If you’re a fan of Kandinsky (I am), you can see all the different stages of his art.

Expressionism thrived in Munich. This is literally the best collection of that period anywhere in the world.

READ: 4 Days in Munich Itinerary

  • Address: Luisenstrasse 33 Munich
  • Hours: Tues to Sun from 10:00 to 6:00 pm, open until 8:00 pm Thur to Sat
  • Entry fee: 10 euros
  • Website
the El Greco museum in Toledo
the El Greco museum in Toledo

17. El Greco Museum, Toledo Spain

Part of the “Golden Age” of Spanish painting, El Greco is a famous Greek painter who lived in Spain. Born in Crete, he settled in Toledo after training with Renaissance giant Titian in Venice.

El Greco was a Mannerist painter, known for his malleable and elongated figures. They are rendered with unreal acidic colors and fluid distortions of the body. El Greco was considered a “painter of the spirit.”

The El Greco museum is the only one in Spain dedicated to the famous painter. Its fundamental purpose is to convey an understanding of El Greco’s art and the influence his work and personality had on early 17th century Toledo.

El Greco's Apostolate series
El Greco’s Apostolate series

The intimate house museum has an extensive collection of El Greco paintings, including View and Plan of Toledo (a version of which is in the Prado), Portal, and Azulejos. There’s also a beautifully displayed row of portraits, known as the Apostolate series.

The museum also includes an evocation of the museum’s past through the figure of the Marquis of Vega-Inclan.

He purchased El Greco’s home, returned it to period style, and led the movement to promote El Greco’s painting.

  • Address: Paseo del Transito Toledo Spain
  • Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am to 7:30 pm
  • Entry fee: € 3
  • Website
the eccentric Dali Theater Museum in Figureres Spain
the eccentric Dali Theater Museum in Figureres Spain

18. The Dalì Theater and Museum, Figueres Spain

When one thinks of Salvador Dalì, his extravagant persona and iconic waxed mustache immediately leap to mind.

Dalì was a self-proclaimed dandy, a showoffy megalomaniac who loved nothing more than creating a sensation. And embracing money and fame.

One of the best day trips from Barcelona is a visit to the Dalì Theater and Museum, or Teatro-Museo Dalí, in Dalì’s birthplace of Figueres Spain.

The pink museum is billed as the world’s largest Surrealist object. It’s a work of art itself.

With over 1500 pieces of art, the Dalì museum has the largest collection of works by the trailblazing artist, with pieces spanning his entire career. The space is fun and weird, with double images and optical illusions.

Built between 1961-74, Dalì helped design the eccentric museum himself.

He said “I want my museum to be a single block, a labyrinth, a great surrealist object. It will be a totally theatrical museum. The people who come to see it will leave with the sensation of having had a theatrical dream.”

Highlights are the Palace of Winds Room (a whimsical reimagining of the Sistine Chapel), the Mae West Room, Dalì’s clever double image of Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea, the Treasure Room, and the Dalì’ jewelry collection.

Here’s my complete guide to the Dali museum. You can book a guided day trip from Barcelona to the museum.

  • Address: Gala-Salvador Dalì Square, 5 E-17600 Figueres
  • Hours: Closed Mondays, other hours
  • Entry fee: 17 €, museum by night 15 €, students 10 €
  • Website
Joan Miró Foundation
Joan Miró Foundation

19. The Joan Miró Foundation, Barcelona Spain

What a treat this Barcelona museum is. It’s rare to see a large group of Miró paintings. In this fabulous single artist museum, you’re surrounded. Miró founded the museum himself in 1975.

Located on Montjuïc Hill, the museum’s housed in a light filled gleaming white building, designed by his friend, Josep LLuis Sert.

The Fundació Joan Miró is crammed with seminal Miró works, from his earliest sketches to his later years. There’s 220 paintings, 180 sculptures, and over 8,000 drawings. Not everything is on display at once, of course.

Miró was born and raised in Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, where he began studying art at 14. In his 20s, Miró was attracted to the Surrealism.

When his work was initially mocked in Barcelona, he fled to Paris. He became life long friends with Picasso. He eventually came back to Barcelona. But then he lived in Mallorca for almost 30 years.

Miró’s work defies outright categorization. He’s most associated with the Surrealists, but he was a renegade.

His work is characterized by constant experimentation and a decided love of the dream-like abstract.

Like Dali, Miró balanced the spontaneity and automatism of Surrealism with meticulous planning and precision edges.

READ: 3 Days in Barcelona Itinerary

  • Address: Parc de Montjuïc 08038 Barcelona
  • Hours: Nov to Mar 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, Apr to Oct 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, Closed Mondays
  • Entry fee: 15 €, under 15 free
  • Website
the gorgeous second floor of the Picasso Museum showing his piece Grand Nu au Fauteil Rouge
Picasso Museum with Grand Nu au Fauteil Rouge

20. Musée National Picasso-Paris, Paris France

Ah, I adore Paris’ Picasso Museum. The eponymous museum is one of the world’s best small museums. It’s housed in the gorgeous Baroque Hotel de Sale in the Marais neighborhood.

What I love most about the museum is that it houses all the art that Pablo Picasso could not part with, donated to France by his heirs.

It’s a personal collection that he created, curated, lived with, and kept nearby his entire life. It represents all the artistic periods of his life, all the women he loved, and reveals his extraordinary range and talent.

Picasso was a lothario and chronic womanizer. He was a one man female wrecking ball who once said “love is the greatest refreshment” and then never left the concession stand.

As you stroll through the Picasso Museum, which is organized chronologically, you can see the progression of his artistic styles and the succession of his long suffering female casualties — Fernand Olivier, Olga Khoklova, Dora Maar, Marie Therese-Walter, Francoise Gilot, and Jacqueline Roque. His art and his loves were always intertwined.

If you need more Picasso, here’s my guide to Picasso museums in Europe.

Click here to pre-book a skip the line ticket. It’s necessity. You can also book a 2 hour guided tour of the museum with an expert.

READ: 3 Days in Paris Itinerary

  • Address: 5 Rue de Thorigny, 75003 Paris
  • Entry fee: 14 €, under 28 free, audioguide 5 €, free the fist Sunday of every month
  • Hours: Tues–Fri: 10.30 am – 6:00 pm, Sat- Sun : 9.30 am – 6:00 pm, closed Monday
  • Metro: 1 Saint-Paul, 8 Saint-Sébastien-Froissart, 8 Chemin Vert
  • Website
the UNESCO-listed Berbie Palace, which houses the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum
the UNESCO-listed Berbie Palace, which houses the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum

21. Toulouse-Lautrec Museum, Albi France

I have a soft spot for single artist museums, and Albi’s Toulouse-Lautrec Museum is particularly sweet. The museum is dedicated to French artist and Post-Impressionist painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

You may know him from his iconic posters of bawdy fin de siècle spots in Paris, like the Moulin Rouge.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s works at the museum are organized in groups: works from his youth, works from his seedy stint in Montmartre, and works from his stint as a poster designer. All 31 of his world famous posters are gathered here.

READ: Guide To Paris’ Montmartre Neighborhood

Toulouse-Lautrec, In the Salon at the Rue des Moulins, 1884
Toulouse-Lautrec, In the Salon at the Rue des Moulins, 1884

On the second floor of the Berbie Palace, there’s also a nice collection of modern art from the first half of the 20th century.

You’ll find works by from friends and contemporaries of Toulouse-Lautrec: Emile Bernard, Maurice Denis, and Pierre Bonnard.

Here’s my guide to visiting the town of Albi.

  • Address: Palais de la Berbie, Place Sainte-Cécile,
  • Hours: Usual hours 9:00 am to 12:00 pm & 2:000 pm to 6:00 pm
  • Entry fees: Adults € 10, Students € 5, Children under 13 free
  • Website
striking architecture of the Brandhorst Museum in Munich
striking architecture of the Brandhorst Museum in Munich

22. Brandhorst Museum, Munich Germany

You can’t but notice the Brandhorst Museum, housed a glittering modern building.

Opened in 2009, the museum is housed in an impressive piece of architecture, designed by the Sauerbruch Hutton Architects from Berlin. The colors change and shimmer, the effect changing depending on how you move.

Inside, there are wide open galleries. The collection of the museum includes modern and contemporary works from the 1960s to the present. You can find pieces by Andy Warhol, Cy Twombly, Joseph Beuys, and Damien Hirst.

Cy Twombley room in the Brandhorst
Cy Twombley room in the Brandhorst

You’ll see more Warhol here than anywhere else in Europe.

Twombley’s graffiti paintings have a dedicated floor. Among the treasures are also 112 original editions of books illustrated by Picasso.

  • Address: Theresienstrasse 35a Munich
  • Hours: Tues to Sun from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, open until 8:00 on Thurs
  • Entry fee: 7 euros
  • Website
Library Court Gallery in the Yale Center for British Art
Library Court Gallery in the Yale Center for British Art

23. Yale Center for British Art, New Haven Connecticut US

I really like the Yale Center for British Art. Located in a building designed by architect Louis Kahn, the center’s collections were the gift of Paul Mellon. The museum has a cool layout, with galleries built around two open atriums.

The museum houses the largest collection of British art in the United States, with 2500 works spanning the 15th century to the present. And it’s free to visit.

Much of the art is displayed salon style, hung floor to ceiling, as it would’ve been in 19th century exhibitions.

J. M. W. Turner, Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed, 1818
J. M. W. Turner, Dort or Dordrecht: The Dort Packet-Boat from Rotterdam Becalmed, 1818

Many of the museum’s works are concentrated in the period from 1697 to 1851, corresponding to the Georgian period of British history.

You’ll find a cavalcade of amazing art by the likes of Turner, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Constable, Reynolds, and George Stubbs.

  • Address: 1080 Chapel Street, New Haven Connecticut
  • Hours: Tues to Sat 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Entry fee: free
  • Website
gallery in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan
gallery in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan

24. Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan Italy

The Pinacoteca di Brera is Milan’s premiere museum and a must see site in Milan for art lovers. Its exquisite collection is housed inside the beautiful late 17th century Palazzo Brera near the Duomo.

The museum has a magnificent collection of Italian art, especially religious-themed works. It’s one of the best museums you’ve never heard of.

The Pinacoteca di Brera boasts works from the 14th to 20th centuries, including important pieces by artists such as Raphael, Caravaggio, Guercino, Bellini, and Titian.

READ: Guide To the Caravaggio Trail in Rome

The museum’s must see masterpieces are Caravaggio’s Supper at Emmaus, Francesco Hayez’s The Kiss, Andrea Mantegna’s Lamentation of Christ, Raphael’s Marriage of the Virgin, and Guercino’s Dead Christ.

But the Brera isn’t just Renaissance art works. It also has an impressive collection of modern art by the likes of Picasso, Modiglianai, Braque, de Chirico, and Morandi.

Here’s my complete guide to the Brera Museum. You can book a combined guided tour of the Brera neighborhood and the Brera Museum in Milan.

READ: One Day Itinerary for Milan

  • Address: Via Brera 28
  • Opening Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm & Thursday to Sunday, from 2:00 pm to 6:30 pm
  • Entry fee: € 16
  • Website
the beautiful Gallery of Mirrors in the Doria Pamphilj
the beautiful Gallery of Mirrors in the Doria Pamphilj

25. Palazzo Doria Pamphilj, Rome Italy

The under-appreciated and art-filled Doria Pamphlij Gallery is a hidden gem in Rome.

Housed in a lavish 17th century Roman-Rococo palace, this lovely museum is one of my absolute favorite spots in Rome.

The art collection was meticulously assembled and is still owned by a powerful Italian family, the Doria Pamphilj (pronounced Pom-fee-lee).

The museum boasts over 650 works spanning the 15th to the 18th century, including pieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, Velazquez, Titian, Carracci, and Bruegel.

READ: Guide To Palace Museums in Rome

Diego Velazquez, Portrait of Innocent X, 1649-50
Diego Velazquez, Portrait of Innocent X, 1649-50

The emblem of the Doria Pamphilj collection is Velazquez’ Portrait of Pope Innocent X, which has its own dedicated room.

Created at the height of Velazquez’ powers, the portrait is famed for its psychological acuity and extreme naturalism. The pope’s fierce expression and glowering eyes led to him being considered despotic.

Apart from the art, the palace itself is a stunner. Every inch of the walls and ceilings are decorated with beautiful frescos, tapestries, and chandeliers.

Here’s my guide to the Doria Pamphilj. Click here to book a skip the line entrance ticket. You can also book a guided tour of the museum.

  • Address: Via del Corso 305
  • Hours: 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (last entry at 6:00 pm). Most museums in Rome are closed on Mondays. The Doria Pamphilj isn’t, something to keep in mind.
  • Entry fee: 16 €, free audio guide
  • Website
The Courtyard at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art © Daderot/WikiCommons
The Courtyard at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art © Daderot/WikiCommons

26. Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City MO US

The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is in downtown Kansas City. Known for its architectural beauty and artistic influence in the Midwest, the museum welcomes over half a million visitors every year.

It’s not exactly small, but I included it on this list as it’s an under appreciated gem.

The museum houses an encyclopedic collection of more than 35,000 works of art spanning many historic periods. You’ll find everything from Egyptian to Warhol. You can visit for the paintings, historical artifacts, the Asian collection, or sculptures.

Some of the museums must see masterpieces include Caravaggio’s St. John the Baptist in the Wilderness, Monet’s Boulevard des Capucines, and Sargent’s Mrs. Cecile Wade.

When you’re done admiring the art inside, stroll through the Henry Moore Sculpture Garden outside.

  • Address: 4525 Oak Street, Kansas City, MO
  • Hours: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm daily except closed Tues and Wed, open until 9:00 pm on Fri night
  • Entry fee: free
  • Website
San Marco Monastery, a hidden gem in Florence
San Marco Monastery, a hidden gem in Florence

27. San Marco Monastery Museum, Florence

The San Marco Monastery is a serene and irresistible hidden gem in Florence Italy. The museum is a rare opportunity to see Early Renaissance masterpieces in situ.

You can admire art in its original location and understand how contemporary audiences experienced it.

At this Renaissance convent-museum, you travel back in time to a nearly perfectly preserved 600 year old Dominican monastery.

It was paid for by Medici family money, designed by the stellar architect Michelozzo, and decorated with delicate frescos by one of the most sublime painters of the Renaissance — Fra Angelico. The fiery preacher Girolamo Savonarola even lived there.

The convent had an incredibly talented in house painter. Working in the mid 1400s, Fra Angelico lovingly painted sacred art and realistic down to earth images of humans and human emotions. With Giotto and Donatello, Fra Angelico helped transform the art world and usher in the High Renaissance.

Some of Fra Angelico’s masterpieces are housed in the perfectly lit Sala dell’Ospizio. Others are sprinkled through the monastery, with the most beautiful frescos in the monks’ dormitories.

Here’s my complete guide to San Marco Monastery. Click here for a skip the line ticket. Click here for a fascinating tour that gives you insight into Fra Angelico, Savonarola, and the Medici.

  • Address: Piazza San Marco 3
  • Hours: Monday to Friday 8:15 am to 1:50 pm, Sat & Sun 8:15 am to 4:50 pm.
  • Entry fee: 16 euros
Renoir, Luncheon at the Boating Party, 1881

28. Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.

One of my favorite small museums is the brilliant Phillips Collection in the Dupont Circle area of Washington D.C.

Most people don’t even realize there’s more to D.C. than the Smithsonian behemoths.

Founded in 1921, the museum is housed in a Georgian Revival house. It was once the family home of the museum’s founder, Duncan Phillips.

The Phillips boasts one of the best small collections you’ll ever see, with almost 6,000 works. The museum’s prize possession is Renoir’s Luncheon at the Boating Party.

Rothko Room at the Phillips Collection
Rothko Room at the Phillips Collection

But the Phillips also holds Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Modern works. You’ll find paintings by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Morisot, Bonnard, Utrillo, O’Keefe, and Picasso.

The museum’s Rothko Room is a beautiful art space. You can sit on a lone bench and be surrounded by four massive Rothko pieces.

If you need some caffeine, stop in at Tryst, one of D.C.’s most beloved coffeehouses, inside the Phillips’ Vradenburg Café.

Here’s my complete guide to the Phillips Collection.

  • Address: 1600 21st St. NW Washington, District of Columbia, 20009
  • Hours: Tues to Sun from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Entry fee: $20
  • Website
The Wallace Collection
The Wallace Collection

29. The Wallace Collection, London

The Wallace Collection is one of the world’s best small museums, a treasure trove of art. But it’s somewhat pleasantly lost (except for locals) in London’s sea of amazing museums.

The Wallace Collection is housed in a palatial mansion. It’s a perfectly preserved in situ collaboration of art and period settings.

The museum has a fine collection of old Masters paintings set amid fine French furniture. It’s word renowned for its 18th century French paintings, European paintings, Boulle furniture, and medieval armor.

You’ll find works by Rembrandt, Franz Hals, Velazquez, Titian, and Canaletto. Plus, there’s a slew of works by Rococo-era artists like Watteau, Boucher, and Fragonard. The museum’s most famous painting is Fragonard’s The Swing.

Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Swing, 1767
Jean-Honore Fragonard, The Swing, 1767

You can take a free 30 minute tour of the Grand Gallery on the second floor at 3:00 pm with a museum expert.

But the Wallace Collection is so vast, with so many masterpieces, that you may want to book a proper 3 hour guided tour.

Here’s my complete guide to the Wallace Collection.

  • Address: Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN. The museum is just a couple blocks from Oxford Street.
  • Entry fee: free
  • Hours: Open daily 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
  • Website
spiral staircase at the Courtauld Gallery
spiral staircase at the Courtauld Gallery

30. The Courtauld Gallery, London

The Courtauld Gallery is a stunning hidden gem in Somerset House in central London. It first opened its doors in 1932 and has just been beautifully renovated.

The gallery is renowned for its collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. If your’e an art lover, you will walk in and immediately recognize some of the paintings. 

In the Great Room, there are seminal works by Renoir, Manet, Monet, Cezanne, and Van Gogh. The museum has Britain’s largest collection of Cezanne works.

Manet, Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882
Manet, Bar at the Folies-Bergere, 1882

There’s also a collection of early Renaissance works, including some by a Botticelli, and northern Renaissance pieces. And two knockout rooms with Rubens paintings.

The must see masterpieces include Manet’s A Bar at the Folies Bergere, Lucas Cranach’s Adam and Eve, Renoir’s the Theater Box, and Van Gogh’s Self Portrait With Bandaged Ear.

For more info, check out my guide to the Courtauld.

  • Address: Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R 0RN
  • Hours: Daily 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
  • Entry: 12 euros
  • Website
Hirshhorn Museum
Hirshhorn Museum

31. Hirshhorn Museum, Washington D.C.

The Hirshshorn is Washington D.C.’s contemporary art museum. It was the first national museum dedicated to post–World War II art and the first modernist building on the National Mall. 

Opened in 1974, the museum was founded with a gift from Joseph H. Hirshorn, an oil and mining tycoon. He donated over 12,000 works of art amassed over 50 years of collecting — paintings, sculptures, drawings, and mixed media pieces. 

The museum’s permanent collection includes modern and contemporary works of sculpture, paintings, digital media, photography, video, performance-based pieces. 

There are works by Yayoi Kusama, Joan Mitchell, Damien Hirst, Laurie Anderson, Edward Hopper, and Willem de Kooning. The most beloved are Kusama’s Infinity Mirror rooms.

Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror room at the Hirshhorn, one of the world's best small museums
Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror room

The Hirshhorn also has a magnificent Sculpture Garden with works by August Rodin and Henry Moore. It’s closing in the spring of 2023 for a multi-year renovation. 

Here’s my complete guide to the Hirshhorn Museum.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the stunning small museums in the United States and Europe. You may enjoy these other museum guides:

If you’d like to visit some of the best small museums in the world, pin it for later.

Pinterest pin for guide to the best small museums
Pinterest pin for best small museums

8 thoughts on “30+ Amazing Small Museums With Supersized Collections”

  1. Wow! Thank you. Just returned from Florence and planning to go to London in a few weeks. Used and using your wonderful info. Love all your details . Love your guide to small museums Bravo and thank you

    Reply
    • Thank you so much Vivian! I just published an article on the best museums in London you may want to check out. I just got back from London myself. Have a great visit!

      Reply
  2. Very nice list indeed !!!
    I would like to add the Secession building in Vienna which contains the famous Beethoven Frieze by Gustav Klimt !!!!!

    Reply
    • Excellent choice! I do have the Secession listed in my article on the best museums in Vienna. The frieze is truly stunning.

      Reply
  3. Thank you, Vivian! Some of my personal favorites on your list – added several to my bucket list.
    I would add Berggruen museum in Berlin with beautiful Picasso collection, Foundation Beyler in Basel, Switzerland – amazing collection of an art dealer,l and foundation Maeght in France- beautiful place and collection, so worth a trip

    Reply

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