|
The Smithsonian is generally rated the top by folks knowledgeable on the subject. The National Gallery, which is not part of the Smithsonian, but is on the Mall, is competitive in the quality of its collection with some of the others (such as the Louvre and Hermitage), but not in the extensity of it. My only real experience is with New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is superior to the National Gallery in its antiquities and oriental art, but the National Gallery is superior in the quality of its painting collection, with the possible exception of the the Impressionists and post- Impressionists. The Museum of Modern Art is superior to the Hirschorn, and more complete than the collection in the modern section of the National Gallery. The Guggenheim permanent collection is inferior to the NG, about the same quality as the Hirschorn, and arguably inferior to the Phillips. Not only does the Phillips, which is off of the Mall, supplement the modern art in the city, but there is oriental art is found at the Sackler and the Freer, and there are several other art museums (the National Museum of American Art, the Corcoran, and others) that fill out aspects of the subject. Overall, I would say that New York has a slight edge in art, and Washington has the edge in other kinds of museums. My impression is that the only city that may beat Washington by a mile art- wise is Paris, and even then I have heard that the Smithsonian is superior in other areas... |
