Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, Quebec, Canada

5Deanosaur89 5:00 PM Jul 18, 2022

Plan to be here for a while
We spent a lot of time here as it goes through a few buildings in the same area. Our favourites included the furniture displays and the Nicolas Party exhibition. Many displays are permanent but they have a large area for the Party art that is there until mid October and the artist came to Montreal and helped design the space. The closest metro station is Guy Concordia but Lucien-L'Allier isn't too far away either. The cost varies depending on age and is free for 20 and under, 16 for 21 to 30 and 24 for everyone else. This is a great way to stay indoors for rainy or hot Montreal weather. I don't know if it is the best place for children but there is an area near the furniture exhibit that has a Nicolas Party craft and there are some interactive components in the rooms though not too many. Some of the bathrooms here needed maintenance and I hope they can be fixed soon. The area outside is very walkable and there are some pieces outside including a street mural which can be viewed from the fourth floor.

5Dutch Brother 5:00 PM Mar 15, 2022

one of the best art museums in Canada
I gave the MMFA a five star review when I last visited, but this time I had enough time to see the entire museum (that was open) as well as the gift shop, so I am in a better position to review it. It still deserves five stars, but just barely. For such a large museum (five buildings), the collection is not as impressive as the size would indicate. For example, it does not come anywhere close to the Boston MFA or the Washington National Gallery of Art, both of which I have lived near and seen dozens of times. But by Canadian standards, it is a five star art museum (I'm both Canadian and US, so I'm not trying to favor one country's museums, but be objective and helpful to readers of my reviews). The building with the Canadian collection does a nice job of providing an overview of Canadian painting. The collection of Inuit and Native American art is also a good overview, but after having seen the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, it looks like a sideshow. Nonetheless, I was still happy to see what I did. I'm mainly interested in European and North American painting from 1500-1900, and the museum has a good collection, but concentrated in a few areas. There are two rooms of 17th century Dutch and Flemish painting, about 30 paintings. There is a very good Rembrandt portrait from 1668 and Jacob Ruisdael's "Bleaching Fields of Haarlem", two standout paintings. It's a fine collection, a highlight in my opinion. There is an enchanting small enclosed space with curiosities which is delightful, a mixture of paintings and small craft objects. There is a floor with an exhibit devoted to Napoleon. Given that France had lost most of its Canadian territory by this point, I'm not sure why the MMFA would have this exhibit, but it was interesting. There is also an extensive collection of early Renaissance religious paintings that is quite good. The gift shop is good sized and has quite a few books. The staff were helpful in finding me a book at a very good price. My wife and daughter both bought scarves, so the shop has a lot to offer. The museum is not inexpensive ($24 Canadian), but worth it if you have the time to explore the entire museum. It is also free to everyone 20 and under, so family friendly prices. I noticed a lot of teenagers while I was there, and that might be why. The museum was not crowded, even on a Sunday, but it was winter and cold outside, so that might be why. Unfortunately, the decorative arts part of the museum was closed, so you might want to call ahead to make sure the parts you want to see are open.