The Louvre has weathered both revolutions and occupations over the centuries. Yet, the past few months have exposed a different kind of vulnerability in its leaking pipes, aging cameras, and institutional drift. The world’s most-visited museum is struggling to find steady footing in the wake of a series of mishaps and misdemeanors.
Art News
In late January, the Smithsonian announced that it would return a Shiva Nataraja statue and two other Chola Dynasty bronzes to India from the National Museum of Asian Art under a “shared stewardship” policy introduced in 2022.
Thailand’s first major institution dedicated to international contemporary art, Dib Bangkok, made a grand debut with a sophisticated crowd of museum directors, curators, collectors, critics, and artists attending the opening celebration on December 21, 2025. Guided by Purat “Chang” Osathanugrah, a prominent Thai business leader and educator, the museum preserves the legacy of his late father, Petch Osathanugrah, whose distinguished art collection forms its core.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape everything from consumerism to creative expression, the world’s first museum dedicated entirely to the exhibition of AI-generated art is set to open this spring. DATALAND will offer visitors a multisensory journey through machine-created worlds in each of its five galleries at a Frank Gehry-designed complex in downtown Los Angeles.
In November, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) opened its doors to international fanfare, unveiling the entire contents of Tutankhamen’s tomb, together for the first time since their excavation in 1922. The sprawling 5.4-million-square-foot complex near the Great Pyramids of Giza represents more than two decades of planning and an immense investment in Egypt’s infrastructure.
Upon reopening this April, The Frick Collection in New York will welcome visitors to climb its grand staircase—or ride one of its newly-installed elevators—to the second floor for the first time in the museum’s history.
After seven years of construction, the Studio Museum in Harlem reopened last month in a seven-story neo-Brutalist building designed by Adjaye Associates. The $160 million structure is reminiscent of the Breuer Building further downtown with its precast concrete façade and severe aesthetic.
As Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) races to finish the $720 million David Geffen Galleries to hold its permanent collection, employees are turning to collective bargaining for better wages and working conditions amidst the urgency.
The cultural heritage and history that art museums hold have traditionally made it harder for them to position themselves as vanguards of modernity and progress. In recent years, many institutions have attempted to step more fully into the 21st century with visual and narrative rebrands, but not all to positive reception.
Wherever you go in the United States of America, you aren't very far away from art. From intimate galleries to massive world-class collections, art museums worth visiting can be found across the country. In this special roundup, we are highlighting the best art museums in every state, plus the District of Columbia.
