Thought Europe had the monopoly on stunning museums? Think again.
Two U.S museums are among the world’s most beautiful, according to a prestigious architecture award, which also lists museums in Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and South Korea.
The Unesco Prix Versailles competition named the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska, on its list of the world’s most beautiful museums for 2025.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History recently unveiled a $150 million refurbishment by Nebraska-based architecture firm DLR Group.
The reimagined attraction has a main building “inspired by the glaciers that shaped the Great Lakes region”.
Prix Versailles said: “Set on remarkable landscaped grounds, the museum recounts the history of life on Earth, with the Visitor Hall at the centre showcasing its most iconic specimens.
“When architecture becomes an expression of the natural world, it fosters a sense of wonder and discovery. That primary mission of any museum is magnificently deployed here in Cleveland.”
The judges described the Joslyn Art Museum, meanwhile, as “spectacular”, explaining that its campus features three “remarkable structures” – the 1931 Joslyn Building, “an Art Deco masterpiece”; the 1994 Walter & Suzanne Scott Pavilion, the first American commission for Norman Foster; and now the 2024 Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, designed by Oslo-based firm Snøhetta.
Jérôme Gouadain, Secretary General of the Prix Versailles, said: “The World’s Most Beautiful Museums List for 2025 provides an extraordinary and particularly remarkable survey of the latest museum constructions, representing both the exuberance of youthful creativity and the maturity of the skills that inspire these achievements and make them possible.”
The World’s Most Beautiful Museums for 2025
- Grand Palais, Paris
- Saka Museum Bali, Indonesia
- Audeum Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Kunstsilo Kristiansand, Norway
- Diriyah Art Futures, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, United States
- Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha, Nebraska, United States
