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Visual list

Great works of art you can see on a cruise

  1. "The Creation of Adam" (c. 1511), fresco painting by Michelangelo, part of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
    01 "The Creation of Adam" (c. 1511), fresco painting by Michelangelo, part of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City.
  2. Claude Monet's submlime "Soleil Levant" (Impression, Sunrise) (1872), spawned the Impressionist movement. It's at Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.
    02 Claude Monet's submlime "Soleil Levant" (Impression, Sunrise) (1872), spawned the Impressionist movement. It's at Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris.
  3. "The Mona Lisa" (c. 1503-1506), oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre in Paris. (Oh, and technically, it's a Leonardo, not a "da Vinci.")
    03 "The Mona Lisa" (c. 1503-1506), oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci at the Louvre in Paris. (Oh, and technically, it's a Leonardo, not a "da Vinci.")
  4. A public sculpture by Frenchman Auguste Rodin in Barcelona.
    04 A public sculpture by Frenchman Auguste Rodin in Barcelona. © Creative Commons BY 2.0
  5. "Washington Crossing the Delaware" (1851), oil-on-canvas painting by Emanuel Leutze. See it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
    05 "Washington Crossing the Delaware" (1851), oil-on-canvas painting by Emanuel Leutze. See it at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
  6. A mural in the Wynwood Art District in Miami.
    06 A mural in the Wynwood Art District in Miami. © Courtesy of Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
  7. "Holy Family" (c. 1634), oil on canvas by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, depicts the holy family with St. Elizabeth and a young St. John the Baptist. You can see it at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, Germany.
    07 "Holy Family" (c. 1634), oil on canvas by Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, depicts the holy family with St. Elizabeth and a young St. John the Baptist. You can see it at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum in Cologne, Germany.
  8. One of my favorite all-time paintings: You can see "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" (1882), by Edouard Manet, at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
    08 One of my favorite all-time paintings: You can see "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère" (1882), by Edouard Manet, at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
  9. "Water Lilies," aka "Nymphéas" (c. 1922), watercolor painting by French Impressionist Claude Monet, can be seen at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris.
    09 "Water Lilies," aka "Nymphéas" (c. 1922), watercolor painting by French Impressionist Claude Monet, can be seen at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris. © United States public domain
  10. "The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild" (1662), oil painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. See it at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
    10 "The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild" (1662), oil painting by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn. See it at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  11. Wikipedia puts it this way: "Bal du moulin de la Galette is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and is one of Impressionism's most celebrated masterpieces."
    11 Wikipedia puts it this way: "Bal du moulin de la Galette is an 1876 painting by French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It is housed at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and is one of Impressionism's most celebrated masterpieces."
  12. "Wheatfield Under Thunderclouds" (1890), painting by Vincent van Gogh. See it in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
    12 "Wheatfield Under Thunderclouds" (1890), painting by Vincent van Gogh. See it in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
  13. "Tahitian Women on the Beach" (1891), by Paul Gauguin, can be seen at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
    13 "Tahitian Women on the Beach" (1891), by Paul Gauguin, can be seen at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris.
  14. "Irises" (1889), the oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, can be viewed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
    14 "Irises" (1889), the oil painting by Vincent van Gogh, can be viewed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
  15. The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, has two entire rooms filled with Picasso paintings.
    15 The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia, has two entire rooms filled with Picasso paintings. © Creative Commons BY
  16. "Birth of Venus" (1484–1486), painting by Sandro Botticelli at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
    16 "Birth of Venus" (1484–1486), painting by Sandro Botticelli at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
  17. "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907), oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso. See it on the fifth floor of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
    17 "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907), oil on canvas painting by Pablo Picasso. See it on the fifth floor of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
  18. "Sacred Conversation" (c. 1490), oil on wood by Venetian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, Italy.
    18 "Sacred Conversation" (c. 1490), oil on wood by Venetian Renaissance painter Giovanni Bellini at the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, Italy.
  19. This is my favorite still life of all time. Cezanne's "Still Life With a Curtain" (1895) at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
    19 This is my favorite still life of all time. Cezanne's "Still Life With a Curtain" (1895) at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
  20. "La Toilette (Woman Combing Her Hair)" (c. 1884–1886), pastel on paper by Edgar Degas, can be viewed at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
    20 "La Toilette (Woman Combing Her Hair)" (c. 1884–1886), pastel on paper by Edgar Degas, can be viewed at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia.
  21. "The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up" (1838), oil on canvas by J. M. W. Turner at the National Gallery in London.
    21 "The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up" (1838), oil on canvas by J. M. W. Turner at the National Gallery in London.
  22. "The Poet" (1911), oil on linen by Pablo Picasso, is part of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy.
    22 "The Poet" (1911), oil on linen by Pablo Picasso, is part of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy.

I am an art lover. And I like to cruise. There must be others like me out there.

So I thought it would be educational to do a list of great art and masterpieces you can see while on a cruise. I'm referring to shore excursions (organized or on your own) to museums and staying in ports before or after a cruise, more than seeing the art on the ship, although Holland America has multimillion dollar art exhibits on some of its ships that I've admired. 

So here's my list of where to see great art on a cruise. I've updated it here since the original version went up. 

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