Museum started as a private collection of wealthy individuals to display the arts they acquired. Later objects of artistic, historical and scientific importance were displayed and made available for public viewing.
The Louvre Museum (above) in Paris, France, is one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. It was opened to the public in 1793 after the French Revolution and granted access to all people. It is a home to Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, John the Baptist and Virgin of the Rocks.
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, is one of the most important museums in the world. Originally, it was built as a palace with offices for Florentine magistrates. Later it became a collection place of the Medici family for displaying paintings and sculptures. They commissioned a lot of artists. In 1765, The Uffizi Gallery was officially opened to the public. It is home to Botticelli’s two most famous painting of Primavera and The Birth of Venus.
The British Museum in London opened to the public in 1759 and is known as a ‘universal museum’ for its variety of collections. It is also one of the largest museums in the world. Home to some Roman and Greek sculptures, and Michelangelo’s Epifania – black chalk drawing.
The Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland, was established in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryski. She believed that the art collections should be displayed for public view, not only the rich aristocrats. It was to educate all people in culture. It is home to da Vinci’s painting of Lady with an Ermine. Once home to Raphael’s painting of Portrait of a Young Man, which has been missing since 1945.
