Carnegie Museum of Art

At the Carnegie Museum of Art, you can browse the impressionist works of van Gogh, Monet and Renoir, or study the works of the modernist artists that they inspired. A superb collection of decorative arts takes in the fashions of the last two centuries, while the superb Hall of Architecture holds one of the world’s most extensive collections of architectural plaster casts.The museum has up to 15 temporary exhibits per year showcasing some of the most innovative and exciting new art in the world. Interior design enthusiasts will want to head to the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Galleries. Here, you can examine more than 400 decorative household objects from the mid 18th century right up to the present day. Baroque and rococo tables and chairs, lacquered cabinets from the art deco era and modernist furnishings show how tastes have changed over the years. Wander around the Hall of Architecture, where there is more than 140 plaster casts of some of the world’s most famous architectural pieces. These include impressive reproductions of the Venus de Milo and the famous doors from the Baptistery of St. John in Florence. Another impressive reproduction is nearby in the Hall of Sculpture, which was designed to replicate the Parthenon in Greece, even using marble from the same Athenian quarry to create the same, gleaming white walls. Your admission fee to the Carnegie Museum of Art will also get you into the Natural History Museum. Prepare for a long day if you intend to see them both in detail. If you do, the Carnegie Café and the slightly more upmarket Fossil Fuels Café provide a chance to rest and revive between galleries. Alternatively, bring a packed lunch and enjoy it in the open-air Sculpture Court. The Carnegie Museum of Art is located in the Oakland district. There is a large user-pay parking facility located directly behind the museum on Forbes Avenue and South Craig Street. Bus services from downtown also stop nearby. The museum is open daily, except for some national holidays. Check the website for details.