When design and art collide From New York to Los Angeles and everywhere in between, America?s museums house some of the finest art in the world. While it?s easy to get caught up in the Gauguins and the Lichtensteins, it?s important to remember that the buildings themselves are worth a second glance.
At a well designed museum, the architecture can rival the art, captivating onlookers from the outside and drawing them in to explore a visceral experience. Good architecture influences the presentation and reception of art, often flavoring how we interpret or appreciate the smallest paper sketch or a massive two-story sculpture.
To design a museum has become a badge of honor, attracting starchitects like the Pritzker Prize-winning Shigeru Ban or the iconic Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. At their core, museums are public spaces, visual reminders of the value of art, culture, and critical thought. In honor of their beauty and to underscore their importance, we?ve rounded up 16 architecturally significant museums throughout the United States.
The Broad in Los Angeles, California

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A corner view of the Broad, a contemporary museum in Los Angeles, California.

This new, 120,000-square foot contemporary art museum?designed by Diller Scofidio+Renfro in collaboration with Gensler?opened in September 2015 in Los Angeles. The museum houses 2,000 works of art, cost $140 million to build, and welcomed 820,000 visitors in its first year ...