Every country has its rich history full of important events, critical points, and periods of rise and decline. The same can be said about the centuries-old formation of American art. The art world of the United States is considered to be relatively young. It has developed along with the country itself, adopting various cultures of former colonies settled by the European immigrants. Eventually, having gone through another dark period in its history, the USA claimed to become the world’s cultural center due to the emergence of a massive variety of art museums holding extensive collections of the most exquisite masterpieces ever created.

Here are top seven most fascinating institutions exhibiting exclusive gems of old and contemporary American art.

1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as “The Met,” is one of the most known museums in the world. It houses rich collections of ancient, medieval, ancient Eastern, new Western European, and modern art pieces. The Museum’s permanent exposition in NYC features more than 2,000,000 works of visual art.

2. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is a renowned museum of contemporary art in New York City. Its amazing exhibitions present a wide range of paintings and sculptures, many in the avant-garde style, created since Post-Impressionism to present day. The Museum also displays works by modern architects, examples of industrial design, movies, and photographs.

3. The Whitney Museum of American Art is a museum of American arts of the 20th century. Its building has unusual construction features. A legendary architect and designer Marcel Breuer designed it as an inverted pyramid.

4. The National Gallery of Art is a world-known art museum located in Washington, D.C. It represents one of the largest fine art museums in the world. The National Gallery of Art also features a sculpture garden with a large fountain in its center, which turns into an ice rink during the winter season.

5. The Corcoran Gallery of Art is a popular art museum in Washington, D.C. The institution is mainly dedicated to American art. It holds the best artworks by John Copley, John Sargent, Gilbert Stuart, Thomas Eakins, and other masters of the past age, as well as numerous works by modern artists.

6. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is the most popular fine art museum in San Francisco. It was originally located in the Veteran’s Building. A new museum building designed by the eminent Swiss architect Mario Botta was opened in 1995. The Museum is famous for its collection of paintings and sculptures of the 20th century, presented during the most exciting art exhibitions in San Francisco.

7. The Los Angeles County Art Museum is considered the most significant visual art museum in the Western United States. Valuable masterpieces of American art by some of the most notable artists are widely presented there.

The list of the best art museums in the United States does not end there. There are so many other amazing art institutions that are also worth visiting!