If you’re a museum buff, Pittsburgh should be considered “the” Diamond in the rough. Often referred to as Philadelphia’s little brother, Pittsburgh’s cultural scene is second to none. Here you will find not only the National Aviary, there will be plenty of museums for you to visit including Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, the Andy Warhol Museum, as well as the Pittsburgh Cultural Center. You’ll find many more galleries, theaters, and concert venues located in this downtown area of Pittsburgh.
The Carnegie museums are Pittsburgh’s own Andrew Carnegie’s legacy. Carnegie, one of the United States most famous industrialists, donated these museums to the city. They are famous for their extensive art and science collections, and are known for their scientific research.
Pittsburgh’s home for great art is the Carnegie Museum of Art. This institution receives almost 400,000 visitors a year and boasts a collection of over 35,000 objects and 1,000 pieces of art. That equates to some 25 galleries and over a hundred thousand square feet! For the visitor, there are about 1,800 pieces on display at any given time and the museum presents about 15 exhibitions every year. The museum also maintains an exquisite permanent collection.
One of the museum’s most prominent exhibitions was the Light! and Fierce Friends exhibition. This event, hosted with the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, was opened to critical acclaim in Europe and North America. In 2001 it was even called “the most important exhibition in Europe”.
This is just a brief look into Pittsburgh’s fantastic museum scene. It’s a quick stop from NY and DC, and if you’ve got the time will make a great detour.
