Six of the best: Art galleries of the Americas

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Six of the best: Art galleries of the Americas

By Andrea Black
Andy Warhol artwork in The Broad Museum, a contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles.

Andy Warhol artwork in The Broad Museum, a contemporary art museum in Downtown Los Angeles.Credit: Alamy

SFMOMA, SAN FRANCISCO

Walk into the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and a giant Richard Serra sculpture greets you at eye level. To get the full scale it's best experienced from above on the mezzanine level. Sequence, a giant maze made of weatherproof steel is considered so integral to SFMOMA that it was placed before the walls that surround it were built. It's just one of the impressive works on permanent display here. SFMOMA was expanded in 2016 making it the largest museum of modern art in the US. Walk up the maple staircases to peruse seven floors of exhibitions including works by Matisse, Klee, Frida Kahlo and a readymade by Duchamp, as well as the impressive New Pritzker Center for Photography. See sfmoma.org

MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, TORONTO

Credit: Alamy

Come September there will be another reason to visit Toronto when the Museum of Contemporary Art opens its doors in a new location. Occupying part of the Tower Automotive building in the Junction Triangle area, MOCA will feature a floor housing the interactive Demos – A Reconstruction by Andreas Angelidakis, with 74 foam modules that can be moved and recomposed by the public to create any structure they choose. There will be five floors of exhibits to peruse including a floor given over to ensure that the local artistic community develops. The fourth floor of MOCA will include 20 artist studios, prioritising those who live and work in the local area. See http://museumofcontemporaryart.ca

THE MET, NEW YORK CITY

Credit: Alamy

Yes, there is 5000 years of art history to view here, and yes, the classical Beaux-Arts building itself is impressive; when it opened in 1902 the Evening Post reported it was "one of the finest in the world, and the only public building in recent years which approaches in dignity and grandeur the museums of the old world." But what makes The Met even better to visit during the summer months is the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden. This year, the outdoor space has been given over to two striking figurative sculptures by Huma Bhabha (until October 28, 2018). The backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and the trees of Central Park only enhance the experience. This could be the best venue in New York to enjoy sunset drinks. metmuseum.org

MUSEO NACIONAL DE BELLAS ARTES, BUENOS AIRES

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Credit: Alamy

There's good reason why this is the most revered art gallery in not just Argentina, but perhaps all of South America. Set amongst the jacaranda-lined Avenida del Libertador in Recoleta, this fine arts museum houses an incredible collection of 19th-century European art including works by Van Gogh, Goya and Toulouse Lautrec as well as the world's most valuable collection of Argentine art. Plus entry is free. There's never been a better time to appreciate the art and culture of Buenos Aires. Art Basel recently announced the city as its first partner in its new "Cities" initiative, designed to feature custom programs. Visit for Art Basel Cities Week from September 6-12, 2018. See mnba.org.ar

THE BROAD, LOS ANGELES

Want to see some of the greatest hits of contemporary art including Warhol, Lichtenstein and Koons for free? Reserve an advance ticket to the Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles. Founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad, the museum has a program of exhibitions including two of Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Mirror Rooms, which are havens for selfie-lovers. Some say the building itself overshadows the collection. Designed by architectural firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro in collaboration with Gensler, the design merges the two key components of the building; public exhibition space and collection storage otherwise known as the "vault" the Broad's extensive lending library which can be seen through glass. See thebroad.org

VANCOUVER ART GALLERY, VANCOUVER

Credit: Alamy

Featuring outstanding examples of art produced in British Columbia, including the largest and most significant works by the modernist landscape painter Emily Carr, the Vancouver Art Gallery will soon be moving to architecturally designed digs. But not quite yet. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss firm Herzog and de Meuron, the concept of stacked wood-wrapped boxes with a sunken garden that will bring nature and light into the lobby and surrounding exhibition spaces is not likely to eventuate until 2021. There's still time to visit the current building and view such works as historical First Nations model poles, masks, frontlets, feast dishes and hats. See vanartgallery.bc.ca

Andrea Black travelled to San Francisco with the assistance of Visit California and New York with the assistance of NYC & Company, and otherwise at her own expense.

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