5 European Art Museums to See During the Holiday Slump

As we all get caught up in the winter holiday, we’ll be scrolling our days away in those days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve (or even the few days after New Years, let’s be honest). What to do? Well, art museums are tourist destinations, so their doors will be open – though, we advise you to check out their websites beforehand. Anyway, here are five European art museums worth jumping on a plane for, especially during the holiday slump.
 
HangarBicocca, Milan

Uptown Milan has a renowned contemporary art venue in a former industrial complex, which is a sprawling (sometimes spooky) 75,600-square-foot venue which is dark, mysterious and seemingly, never-ending. Open since 2004, the space is funded by Pirelli and directed by Italian curator Andrea Lissoni.
 
Astrup Fearnley Museum, Oslo

Tjuvholmen, a neighbourhood in the Frogner borough of Oslo, is home to a burgeoning art complex. The Astrup Fearnley Museum is a stunning place to see works by Damien Hirst and the building is designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, natural light fills the spaces through a glass roof, and has an unmistakable charm with steel columns and a stunning view of the nearby peaceful Fjord.
 
Museum Brandhorst, Munich

Since the 1970s, art collectors Udo and Anette Brandhorst have been collecting artworks from the 20th and 21st century – mostly the stuff in art history textbooks. Since accumulating roughly 1,000 works, from modern classics like Picasso to minimal pioneer Dan Flavin, as well as classical avant-garde artists like Kazimir Malevich, this collection, heavy on American art, focuses is on pop art. Inside, there is a collection of over 700 works of contemporary classics, including over 100 works by Andy Warhol.
 
Portikus, Frankfurt am Main        

Frankfurt is more than just ‘Bankfurt.’ Portikus, a center for experimental art which opened in 1987 by one of Germany’s leading curators, Kasper König. This is a venue you cannot miss – standing tall, with a pointed roof, one permanent piece of art is Olafur Eliasson’s “Light Lab,” which lights up at night. Meant to look like the arc of a rising sun, the light is only visible at dusk through the northern roof, which reflects a warm glow on the river.
 
Boros Collection, Berlin

Step inside this former WWII bunker to find the art collection of Christian and Karen Boros. The German couple, who hail from Wuppertal, bought the bunker in 2008. Their private collection of contemporary art (by appointment only) in a 3000 square-meter concrete structure with 80 rooms. With over 700 pieces of art, roughly 130 new works have been added since 2012. “Art is created to be noticed,” says Christian Boros. “It should not be allowed to disappear into boxes and storerooms; it should be put on display.”