For art aficionados, there are three behemoths that just cannot be missed this year — the Documenta 14 (April 8-September 17, in Germany and Greece), the Venice Biennale (May 13-November 26), and Art Basel (June 15-18, in Switzerland). But away from the bustle, there are innumerous museums and galleries around the globe that offer exciting and unusual experiences. We ask three gallerists to map some of their favourites for us.
Paris
Sharan Apparao, Apparao Galleries
“An all-time favourite is Paris. Every single corner offers something. Among the popular things to do is Sainte-Chapelle, the 14th century, Gothic-style royal cathedral. There are concerts every evening and, with its stained glass windows, it’s like sitting inside a beautiful piece of jewellery. Also visit the Centre Georges Pompidou, which always has fantastic shows, and end it with a cup of coffee at Georges, the rooftop restaurant. Drop by the Musée des arts décoratifs (showcasing Restoration period goldsmith Jean-Baptiste-Claude Odiot's work currently) and the Institut du Monde Arabe (check out 100 masterpieces of contemporary Arab art). And don't miss the new Fondation Louis Vuitton, which focuses on contemporary work (like the ongoing Art/Afrique, Le Nouvel Atelier).”
New York
Shalini Biswajit, Forum Art Gallery
“In New York, of course, there are the popular ones like the MET, Guggenheim and the Museum of Modern Art. I’d also suggest a visit to the Whitney Museum of American Art, near the High Line, which is outstanding (the Whitney Biennale is on till June). But most of the galleries are now shifting to Brooklyn, the happening place for art now. The Eyebeam is unlike your regular museum — it is an amazing studio where artists come together for collaborative experiments with art and technology. With plenty of interactions, and a lot of cross-cultural activities, it’s very inspiring. And if you are travelling with kids, head to the American Museum of Natural History, too. It has a museum-wide scavenger hunt and the world's largest collection of dinosaur fossils.”
Japan and Netherlands
Geetha Mehra, Sakshi Gallery
“I have a number of favourites across the world, like the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, which displays the Ishtar Gate, and, in the East, the fantastic National Palace Museum in Taipei (which has a permanent collection of over 7,00,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artefacts). While one does 'the bigger the grander the better' one must also look for the rarer gems. In Japan, the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, does unusual exhibitions. They don’t put out their permanent collections most of the time, so you are always up for a surprise—like a show they had that tracked early comic book representations from different parts of Asia. In Netherlands, you have the Kröller-Müller Museum, a little treasure tucked away in the countryside. It has the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world, a sculpture garden and a deer park.”
