Top global destinations for the artsy travellers

Henry David Thoreau once said, “This world is but a canvas to our imagination.” But there’s a large number of people who use this world to chisel their taste for the niceties of life. This group of people- the art travelers of the world- ensure they make the most of their vacations. Their mantra for life is to make their holidays days of visual arts appreciation.

A typical art traveler is the one who first Google searches the nearest art galleries and museums of a particular location and then decides his/her place of accommodation. 

You’ll find this category of people, who are more often than not artists in their own might spend hours just observing the textures of a particular painting. These are the people who frequent Konark’s Sun Temple or Aurangabad’s Ajanta and Ellora Caves.One of the most famous places for art in India, the Lakshmana Temple, that is dedicated to Lord Vishnu, has intricate images of more than 600 Hindu deities carved in sandstone.

But for those who’d like to taste foreign land to satiate their thirst for quality art, here’s a compilation of some of the world’s best art destinations.

- The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC is home to the only portrait by Leonardo da Vinci in America.- The Louvre, Paris, that is synonymous with art is the home of “Mona Lisa”. It has been over 200 years that da Vinci’s famous painting has been in the Louvre.

- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City can flaunt its various works like the Temple of Dendur , a temple built by the Roman governor of Egypt around 15 BC. The museum is also home to a number of artistic work from the Greek and Roman periods, and the Islamic world.

Caution: If you are on your maiden art tour, you’d probably be better off taking a tour guide. While guides are infamous for rushing enthusiastic crowds from one place to another, you can use this time to make a mental (or a written note, if you prefer) of all the places/ paintings/ installations you want to come back and savour later on your second or third tour.