MUSEUM GUIDE | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA
Discover the World of Cabana’s most-read museum guides of 2024, guided by expert curators who each answer one key question: if you only had an hour at the museum, what would you see? Read on for 10 inspiring journeys through human creativity - an article to bookmark for travels in 2025.
BY TEAM CABANA | CABANA TRAVEL | 28 DECEMBER 2024
Frederic Leighton's long lost masterpiece, Bay of Cádiz, Moonlight (1866), now on show at Leighton House © The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
1.
Still Life with a Turkey Pie, Pieter Claesz, 1627 © The Rijksmuseum
A cornerstone of Dutch culture, The Rijksmuseum is home to masterpieces spanning 800 years. Junior curator, Tamar van Riessen, highlights six must-sees, including Vermeer’s Woman Reading a Letter, Pieter Claesz’s Still Life with a Turkey Pie, and Hendrick Avercamp’s winter scenes. The Dolls’ House of Petronella Oortman reveals 17th-century bourgeoisie life, while Jan Asselijn’s The Threatened Swan symbolizes Holland’s resilience. This journey through Dutch artistry celebrates the nation’s Golden Age and global connections.
2.
One Hour at the V&A Jewellery Collection
Frances Anne, Marchioness of Londonderry. Lent through the generosity of William and Judith, Douglas and James Bollinger © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The Victoria and Albert Museum’s jewelry collection charts centuries of craftsmanship. Senior curator Helen Molesworth spotlights the Londonderry Jewels, rich with Russian amethysts and imperial gifts, and Cindy Chao’s modern Peony Brooch, adorned with 3,150 Burmese rubies. Each piece offers a dazzling glimpse into the evolution of jewelry across time.
3.
Jean-Léon Gérôme (French, Vesoul 1824–1904 Paris), 1868–69, Oil on canvas.
Wolfram Koeppe, the Met’s Senior Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, reveals treasures spanning millennia. Highlights include Duccio di Buoninsegna’s Madonna and Child, a tender, devotional piece; The Temple of Dendur, a sandstone relic gifted by Egypt in 1965; installations like Petrit Halilaj’s rooftop commission and the Renaissance masterpiece, the Studiolo from the Ducal Palace in Gubbio. Together, these works encapsulate the Met’s role as a bridge between past and present.
4.
One Hour at the Legion of Honor, San Francisco
Lavinia Fontana "Portrait of Bianca degli Utili Maselli and Her Children," ca. 1604-5. Photograph by Randy Dodson, courtesy Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO, highlights the Legion of Honor’s centennial treasures. From Rodin’s Thinker to Monet’s Water Lilies, Lavinia Fontana’s poignant Portrait of Bianca degli Utili Maselli, and Marie Antoinette’s exquisite Canapé à la turque, each masterpiece reflects the museum’s dedication to global art history.
5.
One Hour at the Musée de la BnF, Paris
Fifth generation antique dealer, Laura Kugel, offers an expert-eyed curation of the treasures at Musée de la BnF, a lesser-known gem in Paris. From the Berthouville Treasure’s ancient silver to the striking Grand Camée de France, the collection reflects centuries of royal patronage. Highlights include Dagobert’s Throne, linked to French history, and cameos of Alexander the Great, blending antiquity with Renaissance craftsmanship. The museum offers an escape into artistic mastery amidst two inspiring libraries.
6.
One Hour at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers, 1908, oil on canvas mounted on board. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas © Dwight Primiano.
Curator Mindy Neustifter Besaw guides us through Crystal Bridges Museum, located in the Ozark forest and designed to blend harmoniously with its natural surroundings. Highlights include Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, a celebration of American landscape painting, and Maxfield Parrish’s Lantern Bearers, a hypnotic play of light and color. The museum offers a compelling journey through American artistry and heritage, from David Drake's poignant stoneware to Navajo textiles.
7.
One Hour at the Getty Villa, Malibu
A fountain in the Outer Peristyle at the Getty Villa © Cassia Davis, 2023 J. Paul Getty Trust.
California-based Researcher, Mila Wolpert, invites us to explore the Getty Villa, a Roman-inspired mansion overlooking the Pacific. Highlights include the Frescoed Panels from Boscoreale, evoking the splendor of ancient interiors, and the monumental Marble Statue of Jupiter, modelled after a Seven Wonders sculpture.
8.
Opulence and intimacy: London's Leighton House @ Miguel Flores-Vianna.
Curator Daniel Robbins leads visitors through the restored Victorian house museum that was Frederic Leighton’s home. Highlights include Alma-Tadema’s In My Studio, which has returned to its original place, the reflective Narcissus Hall, and the contemporary Oneness mural connecting past and present. Personal sketches like Ruined Mosque and Near Damascus reveal Leighton’s intimate artistic side, making the house a seamless blend of history, art, and storytelling.
9.
One Hour at Museum of Fruit, Turin
The Museum of Fruit, Turin Pomological Collection, Museum of Fruit © Francesco Cerchio
Camaflauged within Turin’s Palazzo degli Istituti Anatomici, the Museum of Fruit showcases Francesco Garnier Valletti’s 19th-century pomological wonders. Using the secretive "ceroplastics" technique, Valletti crafted over 1000 lifelike wax replicas of fruits—so realistic they could fool the eye. These works, created for agricultural science, now evoke a Wunderkammer, blending art and nature in a stunning tribute to meticulous craftsmanship.
Tour the Museum of Fruit here.
10.
One Hour at the National Portrait Gallery
As Nicholas Cullinan, director of the British Museum, said farewell to the National Portrait Gallery after a nine-year tenure, he shared with Cabana his personal selection of nine masterpieces that each capture the essence of the institution. From Tudor treasures to contemporary icons, Cullinan’s choices reveal the Gallery’s unique ability to bridge centuries of cultural and artistic history.
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