The world's finest museums v456

The world's finest museums v456

Finest museums

Introduction

The subject of this lesson is 'The world's finest museums'.
In this lesson you are going to find out about some famous artists and some famous museums.

We start with a fun video in which you will hear the names of lots of artists (mainly painters) in a song. How many do you recognize?

We look at six works of arts and listen to two teens talking about them.
Then we look at a Top 10 list of museums. Do you agree with the top 10 list?
So let’s start with the artists!

This lesson contains 7 steps and an evaluation. Work them through step by step.
 

Step

Activity

 

 

Introduction

Find out what you already know.

Step 1

Writing and watching

One minute to write down famous artists. Watch a video.

Step 2

Listening

Match painter and painting. Listen to audio conversation between two teens. Mention the paintings in order.

Step 3

Speaking

Speak about your favourite painting with a classmate.

Step 4

Reading

Read a text about top ten museums. Two exercises about museums.

Step 5

Speaking

Read questions and speak about museums.

Step 6

Grammar

Grammar: must/have to.
Complete rules, do exercise and study Grammar Desk.

Step 7

Task

Write an 'entry' for your top museum.

 

Evaluation

Reflecting on what you have learned.

 

Difficult words? Search these on Cambridge Dictionaries

 

 

Step 1 - Writing-Watching

Writing and Watching
Who are your favourite artists? How many famous artists can you think?
You have 1 minute to write down all the famous artists (e.g. painters/sculptors) you can think of. Use a stopwatch to time yourself!

Now watch this video.

  • Which of your artists are mentioned?
  • Are there any artists that you have never heard of?

Here is the tapescript of the video.

  • Did you mention all the artists by listening?
  • Are there some artists you spot now by reading?

Transcript

We’re famous artists, yes famous artists: Paul Gaugin, Edward Hopper and Van Gogh (Oh.)
Pablo Picasso. (I thought so.) (I know ya! How are ya?)
We're definitely people you should know ... Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Wolleh.

The names just keep on coming and we haven't got all day! We’re famous artists... Renoir! Famous artists. Au revoir!
Monet, Da Vinci, Pieter Bruegel (Don’t pinch me!). Some people think we’re geniuses. Some people think we’re weird. (But, weird, what do you mean? Weird is a relative term).
Toulouse-Lautrec, Vermeer, Basquial,
(And please don’t touch my beard!) Andy Warhol, Jacob Lawrence, Jackson Pollock too.
I’m afraid we have to go now, so we’ll just say Toodaloo!
And if you think we’re slightly messy it may be slightly true!
But that my fine young viewer, will be up to you.

Step 2 - Listening

Listening
Look at these paintings.

Painting 1: Primavera

 Painting 2: Hunters in the snow

Painting 3: Girl with the pearl earring

 Painting 4: Number 6
Painting 5: Nighthawks
 Painting 6: Creation of Adam


Use the internet to find out who the painters are.
Do the first exercise.

Look at the paintings again. Listen to two teens talking.

Do the exercises.

Step 3 - Speaking

Speaking
In Step 1 you listened to an interview and a video about artists and paintings.

  • What is important in a painting for you?
  • Do you have a favourite ‘famous’ painting? Write down for yourself:
    • title
    • painter
    • in which museum the painting hangs
    • what do you like about the painting.

You are going to speak with a classmate about your favourite painting.
Tell your classmate which painting you have chosen and why.
Has he/she heard before about the existence of the painting?

Then you ask your classmate all about his/her favourite painting.
Do you like the painting chosen by your classmate? Why or why not?

Step 4 - Reading

Reading: Top Ten Museums
Now you are going to read about the Top Ten Museums according to the National Geographic Book 'The best 10 of Everything'. There are many ‘lists’ of Top 10s. Let’s see which museums are in the Top 10.

Quickly read through the texts. Which museums do you know? Which museums have you visited?

1. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The Smithsonian is the world’s largest research and museum complex, with 19 museums and galleries, the National Zoological Park, and various research stations. More than 137 million objects detailing America’s story are housed here, so you’d better prepare for a long week of walking. There’s so much to see that, if you spent one minute day and night looking at each object on exhibit, in ten years you’d see only ten percent of the whole. Therefore, it’s wise to head out with a plan. Focus on only one or two exhibits at two or three different museums.

Main attractions:

  • 'Dorothy’s ruby red slippers', 'The dresses of the First Ladies', and the original Star-Spangled Banner at the National Museum of American History;
  • the Gem Hall (including the Hope Diamond) at the National Museum of Natural History;
  • the Wright brothers’ 1903 Flyer, the Spirit of St. Louis; and the Apollo 11 command module at the National Air and Space Museum.

 

2. Le Louvre, Paris, France
The Louvre was a medieval fortress and the palace of the kings of France before becoming a museum two centuries ago. The addition of I.M. Pei’s pyramid shocked many when it was unveiled in 1989 as the new main entrance, yet it somehow works, integrating the palace’s disparate elements. The museum’s collections, which range from antiquity to the first half of the 19th century, are among the most important in the world. A good place to start is the Sully Wing, at the foundations of Philippe-Auguste’s medieval keep—it’s in the heart of the Louvre, kids love it, and it leads straight to the Egyptian rooms.

Main attractions:

  • 'Venus de Milo',
  • 'Winged Victory of Samothrace', and
  • Leonardo da Vinci’s 'Mona Lisa'.

 

3. The Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece
The stunning ground floor gallery houses finds from the slopes of the Acropolis. Its amazing transparent glass floor provides a walk over history, with a view of the archaeological excavation, while sloping upward to the Acropolis with sanctuaries of the Athenians from each historic period nearby. Smaller settlements have been excavated, yielding glimpses of Athenian life. For the first time, the exhibits in the Archaic Gallery allow visitors to take in all sides of the objects, which are displayed in open spaces characterized by changing natural light.

Main attractions:

  • The frieze of the Parthenon is mounted on a structure with exactly the same dimensions as the cella of the Parthenon, giving comprehensive viewing of every detail.

 

4. State Hermitage, St. Petersburg, Russia
Russia may be isolated from the artistic centers of Paris, Rome, and London, but the Hermitage has managed to acquire a spectacular collection of world art—more than three million items—spanning the years from the Stone Age to the early 20th century. The museum occupies six buildings along the Neva River, the leading structure being the confection-like Winter Palace. This gloriously baroque, blue-and-white structure was finished in 1764 and over the next several centuries was the main residence of the czars. Catherine the Great founded the museum that same year when she purchased 255 paintings from Berlin. The museum’s focal point is Western European art—120 rooms in four buildings ranging from the Middle Ages to the present day.
Rembrandt, Rubens, Tiepolo, Titian, da Vinci, Picasso, Gauguin, Cézanne, van Gogh, and Goya are all represented here. For in-depth tours, contact Glories of the Hermitage.

Main attractions:

  • The Treasure Gallery’s Gold Rooms showcase golden masterpieces from Eurasia, the Black Sea Littoral in antiquity, and the Orient.
  • The museum also houses pieces from Nicholas II’s private collection, including paintings, drawings, and medals created to commemorate his coronation.

 

5. The British Museum, London, England
Britain’s largest museum looks after the national collection of archaeology and ethnography—more than eight million objects ranging from prehistoric bones to chunks of Athens’ Parthenon, from whole Assyrian palace rooms to exquisite gold jewels.

Main attractions:

  • The Egyptian gallery boasts the world’s second finest collection of Egyptian antiquities outside Egypt, including the Rosetta Stone, carved in 196 B.C.

 

6. The Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Spanish royal family is responsible for the Prado’s bounty of classical masterpieces. Over centuries, kings and queens collected and commissioned art with passion and good taste. In addition to stars of Spanish painting such as Velázquez, Goya, Ribera, and Zurbarán, the Prado has big collections of Italian (including Titian and Raphael) and Flemish artists. Fernando VII opened the collection to the public in 1819, in the same neoclassic building it’s housed in today, designed by Juan de Villanueva.

Main attractions:

  • 'The Three Graces' by Rubens.

 

7. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere. Its collection of more than two million items is not only broad—covering the entire world, from antiquity to the present—but deep, with holdings so large in a number of areas that some might be considered museums unto themselves. Its European paintings are stunning: works by Botticelli, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, Rodin, and other luminaries. The Egyptian Collection showcases the tomb of Perneb (circa 2440 B.C.) and the exquisite Temple of Dendur (circa 23-10 B.C.). The American Wing contains American arts and crafts, including a room from a Frank Lloyd Wright Prairie House. And the list goes on and on.

Main attractions:

  • 'Adam and Eve', the well-known engraving by Albrecht Dürer, is only one of the many impressive pieces
    you will discover at the Met.

 

8. The Vatican Museums, Vatican City, Italy
Twenty-two separate collections comprise the Musei Vaticani, each one more spectacular than the next. The most famous are probably the Museo Pio-Clementino, with its splendid classical sculpture; the Raphael Rooms, entire rooms painted by Raphael; the Pinacoteca (picture gallery), which contains the cream of the Vatican’s collection of medieval and Renaissance paintings; and, of course, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. But there is also the ancient Egyptian exhibits of the Museo Gregoriano Egizio, as well as the Etruscan offerings of the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco. And that’s just a start.

Main attractions:

  • The renowned Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms are not to be missed.

 

9. The Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy
'Great' is an overworked adjective in Italy, where so many of the country’s monuments and works of art command the highest praise. In the case of the Galleria degli Uffizi, it barely does justice to a gallery that holds the world’s finest collection of Renaissance paintings. The museum has a corridor which houses its self-portrait section. All the famous names of Italian art are here—not only the Renaissance masters, but also painters from the early medieval, baroque, and Mannerist heydays. In its Uffizi section the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the museum's famous collection of self-portraits.

Main attractions:

  • 'The Birth of Venus' by Botticelli is one.

 

10. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
About 900,000 objects fill the Rijksmuseum, the largest collection of art and history in the Netherlands. It is most famous for its paintings by 17th-century Dutch masters, including Ruysdael, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, and Rembrandt van Rijn. Established in 1800 to exhibit the collections of the Dutch stadtholders, the Rijksmuseum also displays art from the Middle Ages.

Main attractions:

  • 'De Nachtwacht' ('The Night Watch') by Rembrandt.


Read the texts again.

Do the exercise.

In which museum do you find these artistic collections or objects?

Step 5 - Speaking

Speaking: Think!
Read these questions. Think about what you will say, and then talk to your partner. Do you share the same opinion?
Don’t forget to give reasons to justify your thoughts!

  1. How often do you go to a museum?
  2. How important are museums for preserving art?
  3. What jobs are there in museums? Make a list.
    How interesting do you think it would be to work there? Give your reasons.
  4. Some people say that art and archaeological finds should be returned to their original countries. What do you think?
  5. Some people think that all museum entry should be free.
    Why, and what is your opinion?

Step 6 - Grammar

Grammar
Let’s look at must/have to.
Look at these sentences:

We have a new art teacher. We have to do our homework.
The exhibition is fantastic. You must see it!


Look at the rules:

1 We use have to when we are talking about something that is necessary/very important to do.

2 We use must when we are obliged (we have no choice) to do something.

3 You can use must or have to when you think something is necessary especially if you are saying what you think.

4 Use must when it is a fact, or when you are not giving your opinion.

Do the exercise.

You can check out the theory of must/have to in the Grammar Desk.

Modal verbs

Step 7 - Task

Task
If you had to choose your favourite museum, which would you choose?

Write an 'entry' for your top museum. An entry is an item written in e.g. in a diary or reference book.

- Your 'entry' starts with the introduction of your museum.
- Don’t forget to add the 'main attraction'.
- Explain why people (in your opinion) must visit your museum.
  Encourage people to visit your museum!

Write your entry in about 150 words.

Evaluation

Fill in the schedule and answer the questions below.

Activity easy difficult known​ new
Step 1 - Writing and watching        
Step 2 - Listening        
Step 3 - Speaking        
Step 4 - Reading        
Step 5 - Speaking        
Step 6 - Grammar        
Step 7 - Task        

 

What have you learnt in this period?
Answer the following questions:

  • What was the easiest part of this lesson?
  • What was the most difficult part?
  • What was most interesting part in this lesson?
  • What do you have to ask your teacher?

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    Laatst gewijzigd
    2025-05-11 22:47:54
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    Toelichting
    Deze les valt onder de arrangeerbare leerlijn van de Stercollectie voor Engels voor vwo, leerjaar 4, 5 en 6. Dit is thema 'Art'. Het onderwerp van deze les is: The world's finest museums. Deze les gaat over beroemde artiesten, schilderijen en de beste musea. In de grammaticaopdracht wordt must/have to behandeld.
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    Leerinhoud en doelen
    Engels;
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    Trefwoorden
    arrangeerbaar, beroemde artiesten, beste musea, engels, museum, must/have to, schilderijen, stercollectie, the world's finest museums, v456

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