Museums hold large collections of items relating to their subject, building some of the largest complexes in the world in order to store and exhibit the collection in a controlled atmosphere. The world's most important museums have also engaged in various expansion projects through the years, expanding their total exhibition space. [1]
The following is a list of museums ranked according to their floor area where published by reliable sources. Only museums with more than 20,000 square meters (220,000 sq ft) of floor space are included. Entries are not ranked as large museums that do not have reliably-sourced statistics may be omitted; this is not necessarily a complete list.
Building | Name | City | Year established | Subject | Floor area | Exhibition space | Collection | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | Louvre | Paris | 1792 | Art, architecture, history | 758,000 m2 (8,160,000 sq ft) [2] | 72,735 m2 (782,910 sq ft) [3] | 645,797, of which 30,000 are on display (2021) [4] | ![]() |
![]() | State Hermitage Museum | Saint Petersburg | 1764 | Art | 233,345 m2 (2,511,700 sq ft) [5] | 66,842 m2 (719,480 sq ft) [5] | 3,150,428 [5] | ![]() |
![]() | Metropolitan Museum of Art | New York City | 1870 | Art | 200,000 m2 (2,200,000 sq ft) [6] | 58,800 m2 (633,000 sq ft) [7] | ![]() | |
| American Museum of Natural History | New York City | 1869 | Natural History | 166,296 m2 (1,790,000 sq ft) [8] [9] | 32,000,000 [10] | ![]() | |
| British Museum | London | 1753 | Archaeology and art | 92,000 m2 (990,000 sq ft) [11] | 65,752 m2 (707,750 sq ft) [11] | More than 8,000,000 | ![]() |
![]() | National Museum of China | Beijing | 1959 | Archaeology and art | 191,900 m2 (2,066,000 sq ft) [12] [13] | 65,000 m2 (700,000 sq ft) [14] | More than 1.4 million [15] | ![]() |
![]() | Grand Egyptian Museum | Giza | 2024 | Archaeology | 81,000 m2 (870,000 sq ft) [16] | 38,000 m2 (410,000 sq ft) [16] | over 100,000 artifacts | ![]() |
![]() | Uffizi | Florence | 1865 | Art | 63,000 m2 (680,000 sq ft) [17] | 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft) [17] | ![]() | |
![]() | Museum of Science and Industry | Chicago | 1933 | Science and technology | 37,000 m2 (400,000 sq ft) [18] | more than 35,000 | ![]() | |
![]() | Minneapolis Institute of Art | Minneapolis | 1883 | Art | 50,600 m2 (545,000 sq ft) [19] | 32,000 m2 (340,000 sq ft) [20] | More than 100,000 [21] | ![]() |
![]() | National Museum of Natural History | Washington, D.C. | 1910 | Natural history | 123,000 m2 (1,320,000 sq ft) [22] | 30,200 m2 (325,000 sq ft) [22] | (Artifacts not samples) | ![]() |
![]() | Victoria and Albert Museum | London | 1852 | Art | 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) [23] | 2,278,183 (60,124 on display) [24] | ![]() | |
| German Museum of Technology | Berlin | 1982 | Science and technology | 28,500 m2 (307,000 sq ft) [25] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Science Museum | London | 1857 | Science and technology | 27,500 m2 (296,000 sq ft) [26] | ![]() | ||
| Palace Museum | Beijing | 1925 | Archaeology and art | 150,000 m2 (1,600,000 sq ft) [27] [28] | 1,862,690 [28] [29] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Museum of Korea | Seoul | 1945 | Archaeology and art | 138,156.26 m2 (1,487,101.6 sq ft) [30] | ![]() | ||
![]() | National Gallery of Art | Washington, D.C. | 1937 | Art | 120,000 m2 (1,300,000 sq ft) [31] | 25,200 m2 (271,000 sq ft) [32] | More than 150,000 [33] | ![]() |
![]() | Germanisches Nationalmuseum | Nuremberg | 1852 | Art, architecture, history | 27,000 m2 (290,000 sq ft) [34] | More than 1,300,000 [35] | ![]() | |
![]() | Art Institute of Chicago | Chicago | 1879 | Art | 93,000 m2 (1,000,000 sq ft) [36] [37] | Almost 300,000 [38] | ![]() | |
![]() | Museo Reina Sofía | Madrid | 1992 | Art | 84,048 m2 (904,690 sq ft) [39] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Israel Museum | Jerusalem | 1965 | Art | 80,000 m2 (860,000 sq ft) [40] | 19,000 m2 (200,000 sq ft) [41] | ![]() | |
![]() | Canadian Museum of History | Gatineau | 1856 | History | 75,000 m2 (810,000 sq ft) [42] | 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft) [42] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Museum of American History | Washington, D.C. | 1964 | History | 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft) [43] | More than 1.8 million [43] | ![]() | |
![]() | Deutsches Museum | Munich | 1903 | Science and technology | 66,000 m2 (710,000 sq ft) [44] | 40,000 m2 (430,000 sq ft) [45] | 125,000 [45] | ![]() |
![]() | Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie | Paris | 1986 | Science and technology | 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) [46] | ![]() | ||
| Museum of Modern Art | New York City | 1929 | Art | 65,800 m2 (708,000 sq ft) [47] | 15,400 m2 (166,000 sq ft) [48] | Almost 200,000 [49] | ![]() |
![]() | National Gallery Singapore | Singapore | 2015 | Art | 64,000 m2 (690,000 sq ft) [50] | More than 9,000 [51] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Air and Space Museum | Washington, D.C. | 1946 | Aerospace | 63,800 m2 (687,000 sq ft) [52] | 14,970.9 m2 (161,145 sq ft) [53] [54] | More than 60,000 [55] | ![]() |
![]() | Pergamon Museum | Berlin | 1910 | Archaeology and art | 60,200 m2 (648,000 sq ft) [56] + [57] | 18,200 m2 (196,000 sq ft) [56] + [57] | ![]() | |
| Art & History Museum | Brussels | 1835 | Art, archaeology, history | 60,000 m2 (650,000 sq ft) [58] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Cité du Train | Mulhouse | 1971 | Railway | 60,000 m2 (650,000 sq ft) [59] | 35,000 m2 (380,000 sq ft) [59] | ![]() | |
![]() | Musée d'Orsay | Paris | 1986 | Art | 57,400 m2 (618,000 sq ft) | ![]() | ||
![]() | Toledo Museum of Art | Toledo, Ohio | 1901 | Art | 26,000 m2 (280,000 sq ft) [60] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Museum of Fine Arts, Boston | Boston | 1870 | Art | 57,315.3 m2 (616,937 sq ft) [61] [62] | 20,556.4 m2 (221,267 sq ft) [62] | Almost 500,000 [63] | ![]() |
![]() | MASS MoCA | North Adams | 1999 | Art | 56,000 m2 (600,000 sq ft) [64] | 23,000 m2 (250,000 sq ft) [65] | No permanent collection | ![]() |
![]() | Vatican Museums | Vatican City | 1506 | art and archaeology | 55,000 m2 (590,000 sq ft) [66] | 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft) [67] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Museum of Norway | Oslo | 2003 | Art | 54,600 m2 (588,000 sq ft) [68] | 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft) [68] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Gallery of Canada | Ottawa | 1880 | Art | 53,265 m2 (573,340 sq ft) [69] | 12,400 m2 (133,000 sq ft) | ![]() | |
![]() | Montreal Museum of Fine Arts | Montreal | 1860 | Art | 53,095 m2 (571,510 sq ft) [70] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya | Barcelona | 1934 | Art | 51,600 m2 (555,000 sq ft) | 12,793 m2 (137,700 sq ft) [71] | ![]() | |
![]() | The Henry Ford | Dearborn | 1929 | History | 48,600 m2 (523,000 sq ft) | ![]() | ||
| National Gallery | London | 1824 | Art | 46,396 m2 (499,400 sq ft) [72] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Three Gorges Museum | Chongqing | 2005 | Archaeology and art | 45,098 m2 (485,430 sq ft) [73] | 23,225 m2 (249,990 sq ft) [73] | ![]() | |
![]() | Rijksmuseum | Amsterdam | 1800 | Art | 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft) [74] | 30,000 m2 (320,000 sq ft) [75] | ![]() | |
![]() | Polish History Museum | Warsaw | 2023 | History | 44,000 m2 (470,000 sq ft) [76] | 9,700 m2 (104,000 sq ft) [76] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Museum of Anthropology | Mexico City | 1825 | Archaeology | 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft) [77] | 17,440.18 m2 (187,724.5 sq ft) [77] | 600,000 [78] | ![]() |
![]() | Shandong Art Museum | Jinan | 1977 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Arsenal (Biennale) | Venice | 1895 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Musée National d'Art Moderne | Paris | 1947 | Art | 20,710 m2 (222,900 sq ft) [79] | 18,110 m2 (194,900 sq ft) [79] | 127,665 [80] | ![]() |
![]() | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art | San Francisco | 1935 | Art | 43,000 m2 (460,000 sq ft) [81] | 16,000 m2 (170,000 sq ft) [82] | ![]() | |
![]() | Museo del Prado | Madrid | 1819 | Art | 42,000 m2 (450,000 sq ft) [83] | circa 20,500 [83] | ![]() | |
![]() | Denver Art Museum | Denver | 1918 | Art | 37,700 m2 (406,000 sq ft) [84] | ![]() | ||
| Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo | São Paulo | 1951 | Art | ![]() | |||
| Dia Beacon | Beacon | 2003 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Dallas Museum of Art | Dallas | 1903 | Art | 34,000 m2 (370,000 sq ft) [85] | 14,000 m2 (150,000 sq ft) [86] | over 24,000 [85] | ![]() |
![]() | National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art | Gwacheon | 1969 | Art | 73,000 m2 (790,000 sq ft) [87] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Detroit Institute of Arts | Detroit | 1885 | Art | 61,100 m2 (658,000 sq ft) [88] | over 65,000 [88] | ![]() | |
![]() | Tokyo National Art Center | Tokyo | 2007 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts | Taichung | 1988 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | National Gallery Prague (Veletržní) | Prague | 1796 | Art | 13,500 m2 (145,000 sq ft) [89] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Indianapolis Museum of Art | Indianapolis | 1883 | Art | 62,000 m2 (670,000 sq ft) [90] | 16,600 m2 (179,000 sq ft) [90] | ![]() | |
![]() | Bavarian National Museum | Munich | 1855 | Art | 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft) [91] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Bode Museum | Berlin | 1904 | art and numismatics | 25,300 m2 (272,000 sq ft) [92] | 11,500 m2 (124,000 sq ft) [92] | ![]() | |
![]() | Capital Museum | Beijing | 1981 | Archaeology and art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Vienna Technical Museum | Vienna | 1908 | Science and technology | 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft) [93] | ![]() | ||
| National Gallery of Victoria (St Kilda Road) | Melbourne | 1861 | Art | ![]() | |||
| Palais de Tokyo | Paris | 2001 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Salar Jung Museum | Hyderabad | 1855 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Virginia Museum of Fine Arts | Richmond | 1934 | Art | 82,853.8 m2 (891,831 sq ft) [94] | 13,200 m2 (142,100 sq ft) [95] | ![]() | |
![]() | Tate Modern | London | 2000 | Art | 34,500 m2 (371,000 sq ft) [96] | 12,427 m2 (133,760 sq ft) | ![]() | |
![]() | Cleveland Museum of Art | Cleveland | 1913 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Art Gallery of Ontario | Toronto | 1900 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Hamburger Kunsthalle | Hamburg | 1869 | Art | 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft) [97] | ![]() | ||
![]() | Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen | Rotterdam | 1849 | Art | ![]() | |||
| Houston Museum of Fine Arts | Houston | 1900 | Art | 27,870 m2 (300,000 sq ft) | ~70,000 | ![]() | |
![]() | National Gallery of Modern Art | New Delhi | 1954 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Pinakothek der Moderne | Munich | 2002 | Art | 33,300 m2 (358,000 sq ft) [98] | 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) [98] | ![]() | |
![]() | Neue Pinakothek | Munich | 1853 | Art | 30,616 m2 (329,550 sq ft) [99] | ![]() | ||
| Tretyakov Gallery (Krymsky Val) | Moscow | 1985 | Art | ![]() | |||
![]() | Musée National de l'Automobile | Mulhouse | 1982 | Automobiles | 25,000 m2 (270,000 sq ft) [100] | 17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft) [100] | ![]() | |
![]() | Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille | Lille | 1809 | Art | 22,000 m2 (240,000 sq ft) [101] | 12,000 m2 (130,000 sq ft) [102] | ![]() | |
![]() | National Museum of the United States Air Force | Dayton | 1923 | Aerospace | 104,000 m2 (1,120,000 sq ft) [103] | ![]() | ||
![]() | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans | 2000 | History | 27,870 m2 (300,000 sq ft) [104] | ![]() |
LE PALAIS 360,000 M2 de planchers... LE DOMAINE DU LOUVRE ET DES TUILERIES 37 hectares de cours et de jardins... COUR NAPOLÉON 28,000 M2 de surface
Spread over 32,000 square meters of gallery space, admission is completely free, and it's well worth paying a visit.
In 2001, the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum in London opened renovations to their British Galleries, which cover over 32,000 square feet of exhibition space and comprise 10% of the Museum's overall exhibition floor.
In addition to overseeing the hundreds of Gallery staff who care for the 1.3 million square feet of space, including the iconic, architecturally significant buildings and landscapes...
In total, the NGA has 271,000 square feet of exhibition space.