3 Compelling Reasons to Visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington

There are various reasons to visit the National Gallery of Art in Washington, its collection of paintings, prints, photos, sculpture, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages up to the present. This includes the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas and the largest mobile created by Alexander Calder. Download the National Gallery of Art in Washington Travel Guide and Offline Map.

1. Ginevra de’ Benci

The portrait of Ginevra de’ Benci is the only Leonardo da Vinci painting on public display not just in the District, but in all the Americas. The late 15th-century oil is more austere than da Vinci’s best-known portrait, made about 25 years later. There’s no hint of a smile on the face of this young woman, probably 16 and newly engaged when she posed.

2. Electronic Superhighway

Approach the tiny screen that represents the District in “Electronic Superhighway,” and you’ll see yourself live on closed-circuit TV. That’s one of many playful touches in Nam June Paik’s 40-foot-wide assemblage, which represents the United States in images fed from 50 DVD players to 335 television sets, plus that D.C. one. The screens show sweeping landscapes, iconic products and clips from Hollywood movies, all hurtling by as if glimpsed from a car racing at the speed limit.

3. Adams Memorial

There are works by Augustus Saint-Gaudens in the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art (the plaster version of his famous memorial to Robert Gould Shaw), but one of the most evocative of his statues isn’t in a museum, but rather in Rock Creek Cemetery. Commissioned by the great American writer Henry Adams, the Adams Memorial is a haunting, shrouded figure, set alone in a peaceful copse, a powerful memorial to Adams’s wife, who died by her own hand in 1885.

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Top 3 Must-sees in Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy

The U-shaped Palazzo degli Uffizi was built between 1560 to 1580 that was used to house government offices. Today, it houses the world's greatest collection of Italian Renaissance art. The collection, which was originally the Medici family's private collection, was bequeathed to the city in 1743. The expansive collection contains some of Italy's best-known paintings. Download the Uffizi Gallery Travel Guide and Offline Map and discover art at its finest.

1.     Tuscan Masters: 13th to 14th Centuries

As you arrive in the Primo Corridoio on the second floor, you will be greeted by Rooms 2 to 7, which are dedicated to pre- and early Renaissance Tuscan art. Among the 13th-century Sienese works displayed in Room 2 are three large altarpieces from Florentine churches by Duccio di Buoninsegna, Cimabue, and Giotto. These clearly reflect the transition from the Gothic to the nascent Renaissance style.

2.      Renaissance Pioneers

Florence's victory over the Sienese at the Battle of San Romano, near Pisa, in 1432, is brought to life with outstanding realism and increased use of perspective in Paolo Uccello's magnificent Battaglia di San Romano in Room 8. In the same room, don't miss the notable Madonna con Bambino e due angeli (Madonna and Child with Two Angels) by Fra' Filippo Lippi, a scandalous Carmelite monk who married a nun from Prato.

3.     Botticelli Room

The spectacular Sala del Botticelli is one of the Uffizi's most visited rooms. Of the 18 Botticelli works displayed in the Uffizi in all, the iconic La nascita di Venere (The Birth of Venus), Primavera (Spring) and Madonna del Magnificat (Madonna of the Magnificat) are the best known by the Renaissance master known for his ethereal figures.

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Prado Museum, the Window the Spanish Soul

Being in awe when visiting Prado Museum is considered an understatement. Don't take out word for it, go see it yourself! With more than 7,000 paintings in their collections. What was once a grand palace now turned museum, it is a must see when visiting if you ever make your way to Madrid. And how can you not when the city itself is already filled with so much culture and beautiful art in itself. So what are you waiting for? Download the Prado Museum Travel Guide and Offline Map now!

1.     History

The neoclassical Palacio de Villanueva was completed in 1785 and what is now the museum's Western Wing. It was originally born as a house of science and later became a barracks for Napoleon's cavalry troops. The building itself is already beaming with history. In 1814, King Fernando VII decided to use the palace as a museum. Five years later the Museo del Prado opened with 311 Spanish paintings on display.

2.      Goya

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes is a staple name in the Prado Museum. His work can be found on all three floors of the Prado. In Room 65, Goya’s El dos de mayo and El tres de mayo rank among Madrid’s most emblematic paintings as they bring to life the 1808 anti-French revolt and subsequent execution of insurgents in Madrid. Alongside, in Rooms 67 and 68, are some of his darkest and most disturbing works, Las pinturas negras with their dark browns and black and distorted animalesque appearance of their characters.

3.     Velázquez

Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez is another of the grand masters of Spanish art who brings so much distinction to the Prado. Of all his works, Las meninas (Room 12) is what most people come to see. Completed in 1656, it is more properly known as La família de Felipe IV (The Family of Felipe IV). The rooms surrounding Las meninas contain more fine works by Velázquez with his paintings of various members of royalty--Felipe II, Felipe IV, Margarita de Austria, El Príncipe Baltasar Carlos and Isabel de Francia on horseback.

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Museum Hopping in Paris, the Art Capital of France

Paris, the city of love, but did you also know it's hailed as the capital city of art in France? This city alone is home to about 200 or so museums. With that being said any art lover would never be able to resist Paris' charm. But with that many museums and not enough time to spend in this lovely city, we give you three absolutely unmissable museums. So what are you waiting for? Get that itinerary ready and don't forget to download the Paris Museums Travel Guide and Offline Map.

1.     The Louvre

Probably the most iconic museum in Paris and for good reason. It's the world's largest museum and considered a city within the city. Not only is it filled to the brim with artistic glories the museum itself is a masterpiece in its own right. It houses over 35,000 works of art and artifacts from the Egyptians, Etruscans, Greeks, and Romans. The main draw of the museum is its painting and sculpture collection. It is in fact, home to the famous Mona Lisa.

2.      Musée d’Orsay

Imagine a museum set in an old train station dating back the 1900's. Well, imagine no more because Musée d’Orsay’s is exactly just that. This quaint museum houses an enormous collection of works by Delacroix, Monet, Courbet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and many others. In 2011, the museum reopened its most important rooms that are dedicated to the artworks of Courbet and Van Gogh. If you ever need a break from walking around stop by its submarine themed cafe tucked behind a clock designed by the Campana brothers.

3.     Musée du Quai Branly

If you've already gotten your fill of European art then head over to the Musée du Quai Branly. This museum is uniquely surrounded by lush greenery and nestled on the banks of the Seine. It's dedicated to the ethnic art of Africa, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas. Artifacts on display include a tenth-century anthropomorphic Dogon statue from Mali, Vietnamese costumes, Gabonese masks, Aztec statues, Peruvian feather tunics, and rare frescoes from Ethiopia.

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