Top US Art Galleries
By Michael L. B.
When you think of museums and galleries of great art, it is easy to think of Europe. Certainly with the Renaissance of the 14th to 17th centuries, the number of works of art surged. It was natural for galleries and museums to spring up to house these masterpieces. America, on the other hand, wasn't even a country during this time period. Don't let that fact mislead you into thinking that there are no great art galleries in the US.
As America grew, she became a country of great wealth and power. This lured many Europeans to immigrate to America for a better life. Included in these numbers were artists such as Marcel Duchamp, who is considered the father of object art. He left Paris during World War I for the safety of America. The Roaring Twenties became a time of great change in culture, art, and societal norms in the US. America's move to the forefront of the art world became most evident following World War II. Because of the physical devastation to much of Europe, the art community was all but forgotten there. However in the US, artists and varying art styles developed.
The 20th century brought American realism and modernism with artists such as Mary Cassatt and George Bellows. The American Southwest movement had notables including Bert Greer Phillips and Georgia O'Keeffe. Artist Aaron Douglas and photographer James VanDerZee were included in the Harlem Renaissance. The Depression brought about New Deal Art, and Abstract Expressionism was a popular Post-World War II art form including artists Jackson Pollock and James Brooks. More modern American movements included Pop Art and Conceptual Art.
As American art grew, so did US art galleries and museums to display the pieces. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, America has many huge cities, and each one has notable galleries worth visiting. Some of the more famous ones include the Art Institute of Chicago, the National Museum of American Art at the Smithsonian Institute and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the Orlando Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Art in Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the San Diego Museum of Art. Sometimes galleries are specific to one artist such as the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe or the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.
If you are considering a career in art, don't limit your education to just a good art school. Broaden your horizon by visiting as many art galleries across the US or just in the state where you live. Collections constantly change, giving you opportunities to regularly expose yourself to a variety of art. There will be no greater thrill than when your own art is displayed in a gallery for all to enjoy!
Most art schools will include in their curriculum trips to art galleries. The most exciting way to learn what life is like for an artist is to see his work. I recommend choosing a top art school in a city with many art galleries and museums.
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