Museum Visit

According to a large long-term study, people who regularly visit museums or concerts live longer on average — culture is more than a pastime.

The Louvre opened its doors as a museum for everyone in 1793 — the French Revolution had turned the royal palace into a place where citizens could see what had been the king's own art. Until then, art was the private affair of the rich.

The Smithsonian collection in Washington holds around 155 million objects — of which less than one percent is on display at any given time. Most museum holdings sleep in storage; what you see in the gallery is the tip of the iceberg.

Many museums have a free day each month. Do you know yours?

Give it 45 minutes. One room awake beats four rooms tired.

Go to the restroom first, then the café, and only then into the exhibition. Anyone looking at a painting with a full bladder and an empty stomach doesn't see it — the first thirty minutes fresh are worth more than three hours tired.

You don't understand art. You feel it. Go and let it move you.

A museum you've never been to — it's open this weekend.

“Which museum object has reliably stuck in your head — and why that one exactly?”

Cold outside, warm rooms inside — museums are at their best now.