The 30 greatest cultural treasures everyone should see in their lifetime

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The 30 greatest cultural treasures everyone should see in their lifetime

By Andrea Black
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It's common for art and museum directors to travel to gain inspiration, lingering in the great galleries and museums of the world, spending time with works that have inspired and captivated them, perhaps even changed their lives.

And while the question "what is the best work of art you have ever seen?" is a common dinner party conversation starter (or stoppper) for these culture vultures, their possible choices are ever-evolving. But Traveller has just made that dinner party conundrum even more challenging.

We asked the supremos of five leading Australian cultural institutions in three cities to name not one but 25 every traveller should try to see in a lifetime (and, for good measure, five more they're yet to see but would love to view).

Cloud Gate (The Bean) sculpture in Chicago.

Cloud Gate (The Bean) sculpture in Chicago.Credit: Alamy

The rules we set for our experts in choosing their top treasures were simple: they had to have seen the works in real life, they had to be able to viewed by the public and we preferred they not list the too obvious. Here, then, our experts pinpoint their favourites and where in the world you can see them.

THE TREASURE King Charles IV of Spain and His Family (1800) by Francisco Goya

WHERE Museo del Prado, Madrid

WHAT This portrait of the family of King Charles (1748-1819) was painted in Aranjuez and Madrid shortly after Goya was named First Chamber Painter.

ANGUS TRUMBLE, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, SAYS It's an unequalled masterpiece of which I never tire and one of a handful of the greatest portraits in the western tradition. I have seen it many times. I think the Goya would astonish and delight wherever it happened to be hanging, but there is no doubt that its position at the end of the long axis of the main galleries, and in powerful dialogue with Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez (on the cross axis) makes the Prado one of the most exciting museum experiences in the world. See museodelprado.es/en

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THE TREASURE The works of the Dutch fashion couturier Iris Van Herpen in the Manus ex Machina exhibition

WHERE The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

WHAT Van Herpen combines fine handwork techniques with digital technology to create haute couture.

TONY ELLWOOD, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA, SAYS Dutch fashion couturier Iris Van Herpen's work really has been introduced to a broader audience in the current exhibition at the Met show Manus ex Machina. Iris has really started to become an extremely well-respected designer, mainly because of the use of 3D printing and couture, she is bringing those two forces together. She works with digital knitting, laser cutting, it's a whole new future for clothing textiles, technology, couture. I just find that really exciting. She is going to be in NGV's Triennial [in 2017-18]. The Manus ex Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology exhibition runs until September 5, 2016. See metmuseum.org

THE TREASURE Tomb of Nefertari, in the Valley of the Queens

WHERE Luxor, Egypt

WHAT Wives of pharaohs were buried in ancient times in The Valley of the Queens as well as princes, princesses and various members of the nobility. Nefertari's tomb is painted with scenes depicting Nefertari being guided by gods. The tomb reopened this month (July) with the number of visitors limited to about 100 to 150 people a day.

KIM MCKAY, THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM, SAYS When I worked with National Geographic in America I was involved in many different expeditions to Egypt. In the Valley of the Queens in Luxor, I was able to visit the tomb of Nefertari, which was closed to the public at the time as it was undergoing further excavation. The ancient murals on the walls were in the most vibrant colours I've ever seen especially the deep royal blue of the starry night sky. The tomb depicts the afterlife of Nefertari in the most vivid way imaginable and provides so many insights into the culture of ancient Egyptian royalty. I've had a long love of ancient Egyptian history and art, as I first visited the pyramids as a child aged five just before the Suez Canal was closed. See egypt.travel

THE TREASURE Electric Earth by Doug Aitken

WHERE Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles

WHAT With its seven large-scale video installations dating back to 1997 as well as a more recent live sound piece, Electric Earth is a comprehensive look at more than two decades of Venice-based Doug Aitken's work, which also includes sculpture, collages, photography and publications.

MIKALA TAI, 4A CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART, SAYS In September a big retrospective of Aitken's work is being held in LA featuring the work that won him the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 1999 when he was just 31. The eight-channel DVD is all encompassing where the growing beat of the contemporary world generates an electricity of its own. Seeing most of it previously, it was one of the works that made me realise that contemporary art was my thing. The exhibition runs from September 10, 2016 to January 15, 2017 at the Geffen Contemporary at MOCA. Open Wednesday to Monday. See moca.org

THE TREASURE Claude Monet paintings from his Water Lilies series, 1914-19

WHERE Naoshima, an island on the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

WHAT The five paintings by the great Impressionist painter can be enjoyed under natural light in the museum. The size of the room, its design and the materials used were all carefully selected to unite the Monet paintings with the surrounding space.

LISA HAVILAH, CARRIAGEWORKS, SAYS My best art experience was going to Naoshima, an island on the Seto Inland Sea that brings together contemporary art and architecture with the extraordinary landscape, food and rich culture of this series of Japanese islands. I have a distinct memory of walking into this incredible Tadao Ando designed museum, taking my shoes off and then walking into a room fully lined with thousands of tiny pieces of soapstone. In that room there were five Claude Monet paintings from his Water Lilies series 1914-19. To me in that moment – my bare feet on the soapstone – the coolness of the room –my legs still burning from climbing up the hill – those paintings were everything. See benesse-artsite.jp/en/

TREASURE The Sanjūsangen-dō, Higashiyama district of Kyoto, Japan

WHAT The building houses 1001 wooden statues of Kannon (the Buddhist goddess of mercy).

TRUMBLE SAYS An amazing 12th-century Buddhist temple officially known as "Rengeō-in" or Hall of the Lotus King, the temple contains 1001 life-sized carved standing Kannon statues, each one different from the rest. See kyoto.travel/en/

TREASURE Ceramic Bowl, Museum of Islamic Art, Doha, Qatar

WHAT A ninth century bowl made in Basra

TAI SAYS I saw this on my first visit to Doha when the museum had just opened. It is simple in construction but with an early Arabic calligraphic – a Kufic script – that reads "what was done was worthwhile". A very fitting statement for a beautifully understated ceramic. See mia.org.qa/en

TREASURE Too Late by Herbert Schmalz, Bendigo Art Gallery, Victoria

WHAT A late Victorian painting depicting a deceased young woman on the bed with her lover coming up the stairs realising he hasn't made it in time.

ELLWOOD SAYS It's high drama, high Victorian, I grew up with this painting. When you're a little kid and you see a painting like that you never forget it, it's one of those works that I revisit whenever I am going through Central Victoria. See bendigoartgallery.com.au

TREASURE Guy the Gorilla, Natural History Museum, London

WHAT Decades after his death in 1978, the former star attraction of London Zoo is on display in stuffed form at London's Natural History Museum.

MCKAY SAYS I fondly remember visiting Guy when he was living at the London Zoo, back when I was younger. It was wonderful to reconnect with one of my favourite memories. See nhm.ac.uk

TREASURE Rockaway! by Katharina Grosse

WHERE Outdoor exhibit, Gateway National Recreation Area at Fort Tilden, Queens, New York

WHAT A condemned building (destroyed by Hurricane Sandy) is spray-painted in bright reds, pinks, oranges and white.

HAVILAH SAYS Katharina Grosse is known for her incredible large-scale installations including this just-completed major work Rockaway! Public art installation in collaboration with MoMa PS1 until November 30, 2016. See momaps1.org

TREASURE St. Francis in the Wilderness (ca. 1476–78) by Giovanni Bellini, Frick Collection in New York

WHAT A painting depicting Francis of Assisi with rays of light flooding the foreground.

TRUMBLE SAYS More perhaps than any other, this magnificent picture explains why the 15th-century invention of oil painting caused such a revolution throughout Europe, the consequences of which are still being felt. See frick.org

TREASURE Torqued Ellipses by Richard Serra, Dia:Beacon, upstate New York

WHAT Sheets of metal are bent into sculptures, one is gently twisted, there's a double ellipse and a torqued spiral.

TAI SAYS Photos don't do Serra justice. You have to walk through them and feel their arching planes threaten you. It is an immersive experience that stays with you long after you board the train back to Manhattan. See diaart.org

TREASURE A sixth century BC gold fibular brooch in the form of a crouching panther, Museum of the Etruscan Academy in the city of Cortona, Italy

WHAT In this Italian brooch, the Tree of Life is also depicted.

MCKAY SAYS I love early Etruscan pieces, particularly the jewellery and this is one of the finest examples. They also have a very fine Egyptian collection at the Museum of the Etruscan Academy. See cortonamaec.org

TREASURE Twelve cups in Famille-verte style representing the Flowers of the Months Mark and period of Kangxi (1662-1722)

WHERE Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware, Hong Kong

WHAT Part of an exhibition that introduces the history of Chinese tea drinking and features various kinds of tea ware.

TAI SAYS My grandmother's house was destroyed by the Red Guard in Shanghai, they smashed all but two rice bowls so I used to always marvel at how these had survived so many years. See hk.art.museum

TREASURE The Long Leg by Edward Hopper, The Huntington, California.

WHAT A painting depicting a sailing boat moving across the water.

MCKAY SAYS I am a great fan of Edward Hopper's early American art, particularly his sailing boat series. He really captures the flavour and times of New England in the 1930s. See huntington.org

TREASURE Ge Xiaoguang's painting of Mao Zedong, overlooking Tiananmen Square, Beijing

WHAT The painting of Mao is repainted yearly by Ge to ensure that Mao's consistent surveillance of the square remains.

TAI SAYS This portrait is synonymous with contemporary understandings of China. Its sheer size has to be seen. The painting hangs in a public space at Tiananmen Gate overlooking Tiananmen Square. See cnto.org

TREASURE Malagan Masks, Australian Museum

WHAT A collection of Malagan Masks from the islands of New Britain and New Ireland in east Papua New Guinea.

MCKAY SAYS Each mask is said to hold the spirit of the deceased person they celebrate, and you can sense their power. On display at Australian Museum's Pacific Spirit Gallery, open 9.30am to 5pm every day except Christmas Day, see australianmuseum.net.au

TREASURE Anwerlarr anganenty (Big yam Dreaming) 1995 by Emily Kam Kngwarray, National Gallery of Victoria (NGV)

WHAT The vast composition, accomplished in a single, continuous stroke, conceptualises the veins, sinews and contours of Kngwarray's home of Alhalker, Northern Territory.

ELLWOOD SAYS I think it's the largest work she ever produced, it's a modern masterpiece of Indigenous Australian art done by a senior woman who took up painting at a very late age and yet was able to create these incredibly striking, powerful works. I think it says so much about Indigenous culture, Indigenous women, and the ambition of the NGV, which managed to secure the work. The work will be back in display at the end of this month (July). The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia. Open 10am–5pm, see ngv.vic.gov.au

TREASURE The entire Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum, Coyoacan, in the south of Mexico City

WHAT The museum was created by Diego Rivera to display his collection of 50,000 pre-Hispanic pieces.

HAVILAH SAYS Last year I went to the Museo Diego Rivera Anahuacalli Museum, It is a museum created by an artist to protect his culture and was one of my most favourite all time museum experiences. See museoanahuacalli.org.mx

TREASURE David Contemplating the Head of Goliath (ca. 1610) by Orazio Gentileschi, Galleria Spada, Rome

WHAT An oil painting where the adolescent hero gazes tenderly at his victim's head.

TRUMBLE SAYS An enormously under-appreciated Baroque master, in this case tucked away in an under-visited small art museum right in the centre of Rome. See galleriaborghese.it/eng

TREASURE Drowning Girl by Roy Lichtenstein

WHERE MoMa, New York

WHAT This 1963 oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas imitates the mechanised process of commercial comic book printing of the time.

ELLWOOD SAYS Lichtenstein is still hugely respected and popular today. I always say this is the work to see when you go to New York, it's very uplifting, It's quite interesting to look at the surface up close and see how beautifully rendered it is. See moma.org

TREASURE Hatch Show Print Woodblocks, Hatch Show Print's Haley Gallery, Nashville, Tennessee

WHAT America's oldest printing press has an unrivalled collection of original blocks used for posters

TAI SAYS To see handcrafted blocks of this age and to imagine all the stories they told is a pretty great experience. See hatchshowprint.com

TREASURE Archangel with Arquebus, Asiel Timor Dei (before 1728) by the Master of Calamarca, Museo Nacional de Arte, La Paz, Bolivia

WHAT An angel is depicted with an early muzzle-loaded firearm

TRUMBLE SAYS It's hard not to love something as weird as this type of angel picture, a product of militant Counter-Reformation Catholicism in the Viceroyalty of Peru. See mna.org.bo

TREASURE Portrait of an Artist (pool with two figures) by David Hockney, Art Gallery of NSW and then Tate Britain

WHAT A figure swims underwater toward Hockney's fully clothed partner at the time, Peter Schlesinger, in this 1971 painting.

HAVILAH SAYS I love David Hockney paintings. You can currently see the beautiful Portrait of an Artist (pool with two figures) or plan to go and see his Tate Retrospective that starts on February 9, 2017 in London. Portrait of an Artist is on exhibition until July 17, 2016. See artgallery.nsw.gov.au It will be on show at The Tate London retrospective, February 9, 2017 to May 29, 2017, see tate.org.uk

TREASURE The Conspiracy of the Batavians Under Claudius Civilis (1661–62) by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden.

WHAT Originally intended for the new Amsterdam Town Hall, this was far and away the largest painting of Rembrandt's long career.

TRUMBLE SAYS Late Rembrandt at his most baffling, unconventional and inspiring. The National Museum is being renovated, but there are two temporary exhibitions in the city centre. Opening hours differ, see nationalmuseum.se

FIVE TREASURES

THE EXPERTS WOULD LOVE TO SEE

CLOUD GATE, CHICAGO, US

"I'd love to see Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, his famous sculpture in Chicago," says Ellwood. "It's one of those really successful pieces of public art that everyone enjoys whether they are from the art world or the general public." See cityofchicago.org

WANDJINA AND GWION GWION FIGURE ROCK-ART SITES, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

"The Aboriginal Wandjina and Gwion Gwion figure rock-art sites at King Edward River Crossing (Munurru), WA" says Trumble. "Among others in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia, a place of pilgrimage, which I feel is (for me) long overdue." See australiasnorthwest.com

SPACE LEE UFAN, BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA

"I missed last year's opening of Space Lee Ufan at Busan Museum of Art in Busan, Korea," Tai says. "Lee Ufan is one of my favourite artists so this September I will finally visit.art." See busan.go.kr/eng/

BUST OF NEFERTITI

"The bust of Nefertiti, which is on display at the Neues Museum in Berlin," says McKay. "As a huge fan of ancient Egyptian artefacts and arts, it's always been one I have wanted to see." See smb.museum/en/

RODEN CRATER, ARIZONA, US

"I really want to go to see a treasure that is still being created – and will soon be open to the public – the Roden Crater by James Turrel," says Havilah. "Located in the Painted Desert region of Northern Arizona the work will be the largest scale artwork ever made and has been in development since 1977." See rodencrater.com

THE PANEL

TONY ELLWOOD, NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA

Ellwood is director of Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria (NGV). He began his career at Waringarri Aboriginal Arts, Kununurra WA and was director of the Queensland's Gallery of Modern Art prior to returning to the NGV as director in August, 2012. See ngv.vic.gov.au

KIM MCKAY, THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM

McKay AO has been executive director and chief executive of The Australian Museum in Sydney since April 2014. She has had a 30-year international career in social innovation, marketing, communications and management. See australianmuseum.net.au

ANGUS TRUMBLE, NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA

Trumble has been director of Canberra's National Portrait Gallery of Australia since 2014. He started his career as an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice and 2003 was appointed curator of paintings and sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art in Connecticut. See portrait.gov.au

MIKALA TAI, 4A CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ASIAN ART

Mikala Tai is director of the 4A Centre for Contemporary Asian Art in Sydney. She has taught at Melbourne's RMIT and the University of Melbourne and is the founder and director of Supergraph – Australia's Contemporary Graphic Art Fair. See 4a.com.au

LISA HAVILAH, CARRIAGEWORKS, SYDNEY

Lisa Havilah is the director of Carriageworks, Sydney. Carriageworks produces and presents a contemporary artist-led multi-arts program. From 2005-2011, Havilah was the director of Campbelltown Arts Centre where she pioneered a multidisciplinary contemporary arts program.

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