15 Art Destinations Around The World

Dubbed as a country where "East meets West", Singapore's thriving art scene is a blend of oriental and western influences. These days, the country highlights modern forms of art like filmmaking, photography, and contemporary art.

WHERE TO GO: National Gallery of Singapore, ArtScience Museum, Cavenagh Bridge, 

WHAT TO SEE: Sculpture installations at UOB Plaza by Salvador Dalí and Fernando Botero, The Supertree Grove at The Gardens By The Bay

Dating back to prehistoric times up to post-Berlin Wall era, German art has played an important role in the development of Western art. Germans explored not only the visual arts but also literature, metallurgy, and architecture. Similar to Italy, Germany also had its version of the Renaissance which paved way to movable block printing and rise of Gothic-styled cathedrals and edifices.

WHERE TO GO: Alte Nationalgalerie, Gemäldegalerie,  Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin Wall at East Side Gallery

WHAT TO SEE: Self-Portrait at 28 by Albrecht Dürer at Alte Pinakothek in Munich, Germany, Venus of Hohle Fels at Urgeschichtliches Museum Blaubeuren, Au rendez-vous des amis, 1922 by Max Ernst

Besides being quite known for its visual and plastic art masterpieces, Czech Republic's cities are a visual feast. The country is home to Alfons Mucha, regarded as one of the key figures in Art Nouveau, and František Kupka, who is a pioneer of abstract art. 

WHERE TO GO: Prague, Karlštejn Castle, Czech National Gallery, St. George's Convent, Meet Factory

WHAT TO SEE: Gothic Vladislav Hall at Prague Castle by Benedikt Reid, Panská Street, Prague Spring Musical Festival

England led the European art scene during the Middle Ages while the Romantic period and Victorian Era brought forth important figures in philosophy, literature, fine and decorative arts, music, and theatre. In the recent years, UK innovated conceptual arts and has set the bar for others.

WHERE TO GO: Stonehenge, National Gallery,  Westminister Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Saatchi Gallery

WHAT TO SEE:  Francis Bacon's Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, George Frederick Watts' Orpheus amd Eurydice, and  Louise Bourgeois' Maman (Spider) in Tate Modern, London

It has a 3,500 year-old art history that includes gold craftwork from the Quimbaya civilisation as well as baroque and modern art during its colonisation by Spain and USA. Moreover, Bogotá has many impressive graffiti artworks every backpacking traveller must stumble upon.

WHERE TO GO: El Museo del Oro, Bogotá street art, Museo de Arte Moderno de Barrabquilla

WHAT TO SEE: Monument to Race sculpture by Rodrigo Arenas Betancourt at Medellin,  Fernando Botero's works in Botero Plaza

Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including pottery, sculpture, ink painting, calligraphy on silk and paper, ukiyo-e paintings, kirigami, origami, dorodango , as well as manga. Its rich art history dates back to prehistoric times up to the present.

WHERE TO GO: Kyoto International Manga Museum, Gekkeikan Okura Sake Museum, Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples at Kyoto, Raponggi Hills, Fukuoka Art Museum

WHAT TO SEE: Ota Seizo's ukiyo-e  paintings and prints, traditional tea and ceramics at Idemitsu Museum of Arts, Hokusai's works at Sumida Hokusai Museum

Chinese art has arguably the oldest continuous tradition in the world. The country is known for its porcelain, ceramics, and pottery as well as ink wash paintings. These and many other forms of decorative art have given China its distinct DNA that continue to mesmerise the world up to this day. Furthermore, there is a rise of contemporary artists and growing art market in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong making it as Asia's frontrunner in this particular scene.

WHERE TO GO: Hong Kong Art Basel, Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, Imperial Palace at the Forbidden City, Lhasa (Tibet), National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

WHAT TO SEE: Terracotta Army,  Five Drunken Kings on Horses by Ren Ranfa,  Zhang Zeduan's Spring Festival on the River, Seated Buddha found in Cave 20 Yungang, Book from the Sky art installation by Xu Bing

Mexico is like a melting pot of many art cultures. Ranging from massive murals by Diego Rivera and surrealist paintings by Frida Kahlo down to textiles, folk art, and kitsch from other global art destinations, Mexico is a place to be for an up and coming artist who wants to temporarily take a timeout from the world and reconnect with one's soul.

WHERE TO GO: Frida Kahlo Museum, Guadalajara city's art scene, Museo Nacional de Antropologia 

WHAT TO SEE:  The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo,  Revelation of the Way by Diego Rivera, Cancún Underwater Museum

Home to Gaudi's La Sagrada Familia and Seussian Park Güel, Spain's art scene includes a variety of religious and secular art masterpieces. Its eclectic mix of Baroque, Romanesque, and Modern art that are evident in architecture, visual arts, as well as performing arts make it a worthy art destination.

WHERE TO GO: Museu Picasso, El Raval, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao

WHAT TO SEE: La Sagrada Familia, Guernica by Pablo Picasso,  Dream Caused by the Flight of a Bee around a Pomegranate a Second before Wakening up by Salvador Dali,  Puppy  art installation by Jeff Koons, The Garden of Earthly Delights triptych by Hieronymus Bosch at the Prado

Being a major player in the evolution and innovation of art and its many forms, Italy is part of every art connoisseurs and artists' bucket list. The Italian Renaissance paved way for the rise of many important religious paintings, sculptures, and architectural works. Moreover, the country's love for the arts has made the whole country even the narrow streets of Rome and waterways of Venice as a living museum.

WHERE TO GO:  Santa Maria delle Grazie,  Castel Sant' Angelo, Venice Art and Architecture Biennales, Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Teatro La Scalla, Teatro Fenice, Teatro Massimo, Trevi Fountain, Capitoline museums, Venice Film Festival, Il Duomo di Firenze in Florence

WHAT TO SEE: Leonardo Da Vinci's The Last Supper, Bernini's angel sculptures, Sandro Boticelli's The Birth of Venus, Colosseum in Rome, Michaelangelo's David

The seat of power of the Roman Catholic Church serves not only as a sacred dwelling place but home to the most important centuries-old documents of arts, sciences, philosophy, and theology as well as the most beautiful and sought-after religious artworks.

WHERE TO GO: St. Peter's Basilica and Square, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums

WHAT TO SEE: Frescoes by Sandro Boticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio, The Last Judgment by Michaelangelo, The Book of the Dead, Raphael Santi's paintings

The "Land of the Free" is indeed home to the free thinkers of the art world and to many masterpieces that have shocked the world for their eccentricity and liberalism. New York City and Washington, D.C. are perhaps the best places to tour around for museums and art galleries as well as live art spaces and theatres. However, the USA has so much in store even the works by the masters from various countries.

WHERE TO GO: Santa Fe's plethora of art galleries, Museum of International Folk Art, Spiral Jetty in Great Salt Lake, Salvation Mountain in California, Cadillac Ranch and Rothko Chapel in Texas, Roden Crater in Arizona, Storm King Art Centre, Crown Fountain at Millennium Park in Chicago, Dia:Beacon Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Museum of Modern Art, Guggenheim Museum, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution

WHAT TO SEE: Jackson Pollock's One: Number 31, 1950,  Paul Cezanne's Mont Sainte-Victoire, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi's Liberty Enlightening the World  (most commonly known as The Statue of Liberty),  Gateway Arch by Eero Saarinen, Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, Her Secret is Patience by Janet Echelman, Metamorphosis  by David Cerny

Another major player in the advancement of the arts is France and it is a must to see the Paleolithic cave paintings in Lascaux, Dordogne in person and walk around the Louvre Museum to see its massive collection of the world's best art pieces. France's big respect to arts and culture is evident in its preservation of these world treasures and further explorations in many artistic fields.

WHERE TO GO: Lascaux, The Louvre Museum, Eiffel Tower,  Musée d'Orsay, Jardin des Tuileries and the Musée de l'Orangerie, Centre Georges Pompidou, Palais Garnier, Cannes Film Festival, Château de Chantilly

WHAT TO SEE: Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Raft of the Medusa by Théodore Géricault, Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss by Antonio Canova, Death of Sardanapalus by Eugène Delacroix, Venus de Milo, La Grande Odalisque by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Bal du Moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Self-Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh

Last on our list is our very own country that is rich in traditional arts and culture, abound with colonial styled architectural edifices, and has a thriving modern and contemporary art scene. Aside from the masters of visual and literary arts who have put The Philippines on the map, the country is also full of great performing artists in fields of music, theatre, and dance who have roamed the world proud of our distinct Filipino spirit.

WHERE TO GO: National Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design, Salcedo Auctions, Intramuros, San Agustin Church, Calle Crisologo, Malasimbo Music and Arts Festival, annual Art Fair Philippines, Baguio art scene, T'nalak weavers in Mindanao, Temple of Leah in Cebu, Buscalan Tattoo village of Apo Whang Od in Kalinga, Minor Basilica of St Martin of Tours, Cultural Centre of the Philippines

WHAT TO SEE: Juan Luna's Spoliarium, Benedicto Cabrera's Sabel series, Arturo Luz's art installations and paintings, Coconut Palace by Architect Francisco Mañosa, Napoleon Abueva's The Transfiguration, Padre Manuel Blanco's Flora de Filipinas book in San Agustin Church, vintas in Regatta de Zamboanga

These five art enthusiasts have been to many museums around the world—but here are the ones they will always go back to