Art Museums in Pennsylvania
The map below shows the locations of the various art museums in Pennsylvania. Each museum is denoted with a 
symbol and additional details such as the museum's name, nearest city, address, date established, affiliations, art styles, and web address can be found when selecting a location. In areas with overlapping museums, zoom in to see all of the museums present. Hitting the 
button will return you to the original view. The 
button will ask to access to your location before providing your exact location on the map.
With two major cities and a knack for preserving its historical character, it is unsurprising that Pennsylvania is home to many well-known art museums. The museums scattered throughout the state encompass a wide range of art styles including contemporary, modern, classical, historical, and regional. Some of the United States' finest art institutions are situated within Pennsylvania's two major cities.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art features over 240,000 pieces of art, many of which are world-renowned, and saw 793,000 visitors in 2017. Pittsburgh is home to The Andy Warhol Museum, the largest museum in North America featuring one artist; and the Carnegie Museum of Art, the first museum in the United States to primarily display contemporary art. As significant as these museums are, the majority of Pennsylvania's art museums are locally founded and reflect the unique character and history of the area. Some popular regional institutions include the Allentown Art Museum of Allentown, PA, the Brandywine River Museum of Chadds Ford, PA, and the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art which operates locations in Altoona, Bedford, Johnstown, Ligionier, and Loretto through the longest-running museum satellite system in the United States.
Although often conflated, art museums differ from art galleries both in intent and in how they are operated and funded. In general, art museums are public and non-profit establishments that showcase art for public viewing and educational purposes. This is often in addition to other important services such as the collection, research, restoration, and preservation of art or historical objects. Art galleries, on the other hand, display art with the intention for it to be purchased by visitors, and are often privately-owned and directly funded by the sales of the art in their galleries.
The table below shows the number of museums featuring each art style in multiple exhibits. The art styles are described below the table.
| Art Style | Number of Museums |
|---|---|
| Contemporary | 35 |
| Classical | 20 |
| Modern | 13 |
| Regional | 9 |
| Other | 12 |
- Contemporary refers to art that was created in the later half of the 20th century into the present day. Contemporary art is often recognized for its unique use of materials and subjects that are informed by current culture.
- Classical art typically refers to anything produced in the style popularized during the ancient Greek and Roman periods. By this definition, this includes both original period pieces as well as Renaissance or neoclassic art.
- Modern art was produced between the 1860s and the 1970s and was most known for its unique experimentation.
- Regional art is often centered around a particular artist or style that was influential in the local area and can span a variety of different mediums and styles.
- Other is used here to categorize any styles not widely seen across the state including American folk, pop, religious, and historical art.
Pennsylvania county boundaries data provided by PASDA.
Art museum locations found on each individual museum's website.
Art museum descriptive data compiled from Artcyclopedia, Wikipedia, and Art-Collecting.
Map and webpage created by Amanda Peters, Spring 2021.
Modifications by Dr. Geiger, 2021.