Art abounds in every major city around the world, but visitors don’t always need to visit art galleries and museums to find creative inspiration. Many alleyways, parking garages, building exteriors, streetboxes, and other liminal spaces in urban areas have been reinvigorated by street art, graffiti, and sculptures. And other, more unusual, places are following suit. From bathroom stalls to subway stations, these surprising places to see art will make your next city getaway one to remember.
Cisternerne – Frederiksberg, Denmark
The dark, cavernous tunnels of the Cisternerne once formed a subterranean reservoir that stored some 4 million gallons of water for Greater Copenhagen from 1859 to 1891. The reservoir, located beneath Frederiksberg Hill, was permanently closed due to contamination in 1933, but it earned new life as an art museum in 2001.
The only indication of the Cisternerne’s presence below is the pair of modern glass pyramids that serve as entrance and exit points. Once you descend beneath the park, you’ll explore a fascinating world of contemporary art exhibits and immersive installations that are open to the public year-round. Even the air inside — consistently 47 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity near 100% — is unusual. The chambers are also not particularly well lit, so be sure to watch your step as you explore this unique collection.
Metro Station Murals – Stockholm, Sweden
Each of Stockholm’s 100 metro stations is a work of art, and together they form what many consider to be the longest art gallery in the world — 68 miles, to be exact. Since 1957, artists have illustrated and installed pieces through the underground tunnels, stairwells, and platforms, and even the city’s older stations have received a creative restoration.
Some of the most striking stations include T-Centralen, adorned with blue flowers and vines painted by artist Per Olof Ultvedt, and Kungsträdgården, with walls featuring red, green, and white whimsical shapes painted by Ulrik Samuelson. The latter is lined with statue replicas of the exterior art at Makalös Palace, which burned down in 1875 and was converted into one of Stockholm’s most famous parks.
Mmuseumm – New York, New York
Dedicated to exploring the modern world and the human condition, Mmuseumm in Tribeca may be the world’s only official art museum located in a former freight elevator shaft. Featuring shelves of curiosities, the 36-square-foot space is officially open Fridays to Sundays, but it is also accessible 24 hours a day via peepholes in the front door. The exhibits within Mmuseumm rotate seasonally, so New Yorkers and anyone visiting the Big Apple can obtain a new perspective with each repeat trip.
The Vaults – London, England
Beneath the Waterloo Tube station in London, a maze of former railway arches has become an immersive theater and alternative arts space. Known as the Vaults, the space includes the Leake Street graffiti tunnel, which was founded by the famous anonymous artist and political activist Banksy. Its large-scale works rotate often, and the tunnel has become one of the most popular places to experience the street art scene of Britain’s capital.
Sammlung Boros – Berlin, Germany
Sammlung Boros in Berlin is a bit different from your typically opulent art gallery. It’s housed within a former Nazi bomb shelter erected in 1943 that also served as a prisoner-of-war camp after Germany fell to the Russian Red Army in 1945. However, the structure’s fortified walls don’t overshadow the impressive private collection owned by German entrepreneur Christian Boros. The space was converted into an exhibit to display his art in 2008, and the collection features works solely by international artists dating from 1990 to present-day. It is open to the public by appointment only.
Crypt Gallery – London, England
The former Crypt of London’s St. Pancras Parish Church once served as an air raid shelter during both world wars, but it has an entirely different purpose today. In 2002, the final resting place of 557 people was converted into a gallery space for contemporary 21st-century artists. The exhibit might seem spooky at times, but the contemplative works are sure to calm viewers who venture underground to wander these mesmerizing passageways.
Bathrooms at John Michael Kohler Arts Center – Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Perhaps the last place you’d expect to see a work of art is behind a toilet, but at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, you’ll find just that. In the late 1990s, the art museum — known for its impressive collection of works from Wisconsin artists — commissioned six artists to transform its public restrooms into works of art. With tiled walls, carefully designed plumbingware, and other unique features, each stall showcases a creative and seamless blend of fine art and utilitarian design.
Lasco Project at Palais de Tokyo – Paris, France
As the largest contemporary art museum in Europe, the Palais de Tokyo holds many wonders within its walls, but the Lasco Project is perhaps one of the most riveting exhibits. Designed to showcase urban art in the form of graffiti and murals, the subterranean corridors are a nod to Paris’ eclectic art scene. Part of the exhibit is not even open to the general public and is for private viewing only. It contains pieces by renowned photographer and street artist JR and duo Os Gemeos, among other works.
Culture House – Washington, D.C.
Built in 1886, the Friendship Baptist Church in southwest Washington is one of D.C.’s oldest African American congregations. It received a colorful makeover by artist HENSE in 2013 and is now known as Culture House. A unique events venue with rotating contemporary exhibits, the former place of worship has become a beacon of creativity and community in this D.C. neighborhood.
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