A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying and/or preserving culturally significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private collections that are used by researchers and specialists. Compared to a library, a museum hosts a much wider range of objects and usually focus around a specific theme such as the arts, science, natural history, local history, and other topics. Public museums that host exhibitions and interactive demonstrations are often considered to be tourist attractions, and many museums attract large numbers of visitors from outside their host country, with the most visited museums in the world regularly attracting millions of visitors annually.
Image: Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino 2020 10
Image: Facade of the Egyptian Museum, Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt 2
Image: Canada Science and Technology Museum
Image: HK TST 尖沙咀 Tsim Sha Tsui 梳士巴利道 Salisbury Road 花園 Garden Hong Kong Museum of Art HK Mo A October 2020 SS2 02
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership, be accessible to all, or have restrictions in place. Although primarily concerned with visual art, art museums are often used as a venue for other cultural exchanges and artistic activities, such as lectures, jewelry, performance arts, music concerts, or poetry readings. Art museums also frequently host themed temporary exhibitions, which often include items on loan from other collections.
The Louvre in Paris, the most-visited art museum in the world in 2022.
The art collection at the Palace of Versailles in France was periodically open for public viewing.
Kunstmuseum Basel, the world's first public art museum
The University of Tartu's art museum, the oldest museum in Estonia