U.S. Art Museums — Online Fine Art Gallery

There have been a lot of horrific things for us all to work through over the past year. I was wondering what some of the things I missed from normal everyday life the most and very high on that list has to be my inability to participate and visit various art shows and galleries but even higher than that, is a whole year without visiting an art museum. The last time I visited an art museum was in September of 2019, I think, when my lovely wife Debbie and I took in the Monet Exhibit at the Denver Art Museum (more on that exhibit on another day).

I love, love, love Impressionistic and post-impressionistic art and don’t really love modern art, or at least the kind you typically see in modern art museums, so this heavily shapes my choices.

I have been blessed to have visited dozens of art museums all over the world but today’s post will cover my favorite art museums here in the United States - I hope you enjoy and when life gets a little closer to normal, I hope you get to visit some of these treasures!

My Favorite Art Museums in the United States

First, some Honorable Mentions (hope I don’t leave any out)…

Harvard Fogg Museum of Art, The Norton Simon Museum, The Sterling and Francine Clark Institute, The Guggenheim, The Philips Collection (Technically I believe this is part of the National Gallery in Washington DC now), The Kimbell Art Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art, The Denver Art Museum, The Philadelphia Museum of Art (where the Rocky Statue stands), The Cleveland Museum of Art, The Blanton Museum of Art, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Art, Indianapolis Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Art (Houston) (though the security staff here is a bit amped up), The San Francisco Museum of Art, The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art, The Broad, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, The Frick Collection, High Museum of Art, The MET, Dallas Museum of Art, Seattle Art Museum, National Portrait Gallery, Baltimore Museum of Art, American Museum of Art, Saint Louis Art Museum, Princeton Museum of Art, The Andy Warhol Museum, The Salvador Dali Art Museum, The Walters Art Museum, Norton Museum of Art, The McKay Museum of Art and one that should probably be on my Top 10 list since I love it so much and visit it regularly, The Crocker Art Museum.

#10 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, you can visit the museum online here.

My favorites from this museum are the long hallway of Impressionistic artwork and the Monet collection but it’s all pretty fantastic!

#9 Milwaukee Art Museum

Located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, you can visit the museum online here.

The architecture of this museum is world class, one of the best I’ve ever seen, it hangs over beautiful views of Lake Michigan.

#8 Shelburne Museum

Located in Shelburn, Vermont, you can visit the museum online here.

Located in a small little town in Vermont, this museum is eclectic bordering on keeping it weird but you are guaranteed a very intimate viewing of some wonderful impressionistic art. The dining room of Monet haystack paintings is an otherworldly experience and oddly, there is rarely anyone at this museum, which is a shame but definitely makes the viewing amazing!

#7 The National Gallery

Located in Washington D.C., you can visit the museum online here.

There are so many great museums in D.C. to visit that many skip the National Gallery - BIG MISTAKE! Check it out and you won’t regret it…

#6 The MET

Located in New York, NY, you can visit the museum online here.

If I were grading on the merits of their Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection alone, The MET might not make the top-ten but if you consider the entire experience, the fountains in front, being nestled right next door to Central Park, etc., it’s a must-see!

#5 The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Located in Boston, MA, you can visit the museum online here.

The museum is tranquil and relaxing, the gardens are divine and the private collection that spans everything from Titian to an amazing collection of landscape watercolors from her friend, John Singer Sargent (the greatest watercolorist to ever live in my opinion) and you are going to have an amazing experience. Check out the crazy and interesting story about the biggest art theft in the history of the world.

#4 The Museum of Modern Art

Located in New York, NY, you can visit the museum online here.

I go back time and time again for one primary reason, “Starry Night” by Van Gogh. There are a lot of things to love at this museum such as the large panels by Monet at the end of his life, Some Dali’s, the best Cezanne’s that I’ve ever seen but Starry Night must be seen at least once in everyone’s life.

#3 The Getty

Located in Los Angeles, CA, you can visit the museum online here.

What a stunning and beautiful campus. The Museum has been surrounded by wildfires a few times in the past couple of years, which always makes it hard for me to sleep. Take a day, enjoy the food, the gardens, the architecture, the views and the art. Great artwork here by Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and “Irises,” by Van Gogh.

#2 Art Institute of Chicago

Located in Chicago, IL, you can visit the museum online here.

The best, deepest collection of art spanning every art era known to man. The only collection that I’ve seen that comes close to rivaling The Art Institute of Chicago is the National Gallery in London…. The Art Institute is a national treasure

#1 The Barnes Foundation

Located in Philadelphia, PA, you can visit the museum online here.

This amazing private collection turned into an art museum is a dizzying odyssey to visit as the walls may have up to one-hundred works by Van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, Renoir, Monet and Degas. The Barnes Foundation also has a nice collection of watercolor art and various other artifacts of high quality. Treat yourself to a day at the Barnes Foundation!

“Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh @ the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York, NY