In April 2021, I provided a useful list of world-famous galleries for visual artists searching for some inspiration, but it occurs to me that many of these fantastic museums are painting and sculpture focused and therefore, the photographers amongst you may be wishing for something a little bit more photography specific. For this reason, I have created a new list of venues where some of the most ground-breaking photography is on permanent display, or being temporarily exhibited.
Porto, Portugal
The Portuguese Centre of Photography
- This is a brilliant venue in the city of Porto, because it is actually built inside an old prison, parts of which can also be visited in a more historical sense. There is both Portuguese and international work on display here.
Paris, France
Maison européenne de la Photographie
- This is a superb museum in the heart of Paris, which is famous for its outstanding photographic exhibitions.
New York, USA
The International Center of Photography
- New York is home to many world-class museums, and this is one of them; its focus is on “concerned photography” which is based on creating socially and politically minded images.
Chicago, USA
The Museum of Contemporary Photography
- This is a forward looking gallery in Chicago.
London, England
The Photographers’ Gallery
- London is another city with no shortage of art, but this one was the first public photography gallery in the country.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography
- This excellent gallery hosts themed photography exhibitions.
Stockholm, Sweden
Fotografiska
- This Stockholm-based museum is contained within an intriguing art nouveau building.
Thessaloniki, Greece
Thessaloniki Museum of Photography
- Located in Thessaloniki, this collection showcases both Greek and international work all inside an old military warehouse.
I hope that this guide to the world’s top photography galleries will be useful for you.
I have lots of special memories associated with a few of these museums. If you have any particular associations with any of these galleries, artists or artworks, comment below. We would love to read your thoughts.
Happy exploring!
Amber Kennedy, Editor-in-Chief
If this content has inspired you to create something brilliant, please don’t hesitate to submit your work for our upcoming issue here, but be sure to adhere to our submission guidelines, available to read here.
This blog post, along with many others, is also available to read on Medium under Spellnotes.
If you don’t follow us on social media already, you can find us on the following platforms:
Instagram
You can also listen to our seasonal issue inspired playlists on our Spotify channel.
Photo by Dan Cristian Pădureț on Pexels.