The world’s 5 finest modern art galleries

From London’s Tate Modern to Tasmania’s MONA – a contemporary gallery described by its founder as a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’ – the world’s greatest collections of contemporary art are indisputably worth travelling for.

To help you plan an unforgettable, art-fuelled holiday, we’ve narrowed the list down to these five revered modern art institutions.

Tate Modern in London, UK

The most-visited modern art gallery in the world, London’s Tate Modern showcases a remarkable permanent collection as well as regular, expertly curated retrospectives of contemporary greats. The gallery is a modern art behemoth that’s housed in a magnificently converted power station on the banks of the River Thames, just opposite St Paul’s Cathedral, so you’ll be well-placed to explore London’s main sights and landmarks after a visit. If you’re not art-saturated after whiling away a few hours here, walk along the river’s South Bank until you reach Tate Britain, containing the UK’s national collection of British art. Check into the Mercure London Bridge, just 400 metres from the Tate Modern.

Centre Pompidou in Paris, France

The celebrated Centre Pompidou exhibits France’s national collection of art dating from 1905 onwards. It houses cinemas, theatres and all manners of interactive art, including Yves Klein’s alluring Blue Monochrome (featuring a deep blue hue first mixed by the French artist himself) and Marcel Duchamp’s Fountain, the most famous urinal in history. But the playful and unconventional approach of the gallery is probably best encapsulated in the building’s design; in fact, it’s so garish that the architect, Richard Rogers, was allegedly hit on the head with an umbrella by an old French woman when he confessed to her to having designed the building as they stood facing it. Stand and stare at this postmodernist creation from the cobbled square below, or head up to the top via the escalators built within glazed, transparent tubes that climb up the facade (providing visitors with fantastic views out over Paris). Stay at the amusingly named Snob Hotel by Elegancia, located in Paris’ sought-after Marais district, just a 5-minute walk from the Pompidou.

MONA in Hobart, Australia

Hobart is increasingly seen as Australia’s cultural capital – in no small part thanks to its trailblazing Museum of Old and New Art. It’s the largest private museum in the country and its founder and benefactor, David Walsh, once said he wanted it to become a ‘subversive adult Disneyland’. It’s pretty safe to say he succeeded, with exhibits including ZERO (an immersive look at the international, post-war eponymous group of artists who used light and motion to form kinetic art) and Amarna by James Turrell (a mesmerising installation harnessing light and space with daily sunrise and sunset sequences). Check into MONA Pavilions, where exceptional architecture and contemporary interiors are combined with unblemished views out over the Derwent River.

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain

The Guggenheim building is a work of art itself, its Frank Gehry-designed titanium panels and wavy, expressive shape reflected on the water of the adjacent Nervion River in Bilbao. Standing outside you’ll find sculptures by the likes of Salvador Dalí, Anish Kapoor and Jeff Koons. While inside, the cavernous space hosts a constantly changing roster of contemporary exhibitions – exciting upcoming shows include hypnotic seascapes by German visual artist, Gerhard Richter. Stay at the highly rated Gran Hotel Domine Bilbao, located just opposite the Guggenheim.

MoMA in New York City, USA

MoMA is revered as one of the world’s most important modern art collections, with over 150,000 pieces contained within a building whose angular glass and granite facade graces 53rd street in Midtown Manhattan. Dedicated not only to displaying world-class exhibits but also to promoting and exploring modern art and its definition in today’s world, the dynamic museum offers workshops, performances and special events alongside its blockbuster exhibitions. Admission is free every Friday from 4 until 8pm, although it’s not possible to get Free Friday tickets in advance and visitors must queue on the night on a first-come, first-served basis – so if you’re an avid art-lover visiting in peak tourist season, it might be advisable to pay to guarantee entry. Stay at the Baccarat Hotel and Residences New York, a hotel as grand as the museum itself, and one that’s only 100 yards from MoMa.