CHICAGO, IL.- The depth and range of a city’s cultural infrastructure says a lot about the quality of life there. Where artistic and cultural expression is valued, this is generally reflected in establishments such as museums, galleries, art house cinemas, sculpture parks and art schools. Sometimes it’s also reflected in the works of street artists, such as Banksy – based in England – and Shepard Fairey, who was born in Charleston, South Carolina. Some cities are particularly rich in terms of cultural heritage and their architecture reflects this. Here are a few of the greatest cities for art around the world.

Europe
There is no doubt that European cities benefit from a long, distinguished history and this means they have the advantage of having supported artists for centuries. Paris, France and Rome, Italy are superb examples and London is no exception. The exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts in London ‘Painting the Modern Garden’ includes wonderful masterpieces by Monet, Matisse and Renoir. There are also photographs of the artists on display alongside the classic works, plus a short snippet of film of Monet painting in his garden at Giverny.

The best of the free exhibitions includes one of smaller works by the late Tom Wesselmann, whose brand of pop art began life in the 1950s in a cramped apartment in New York City. This is a compelling show featuring collages using a wide variety of materials, including cutouts from magazines, patterned gift-wraps and dried leaves. Wesselmann works in pencil and pastel in some exhibits and manages to create interesting, sometimes, ghostly images in the process.

A good way to see great exhibitions in London every time is to purchase a Museum Pass. This allows visits to a wide range of exhibitions for a fraction of the cost. In some cases where a charge is normally payable, entry is free. Among the displays are those at the Florence Nightingale Museum, the Charles Dickens Museum and Design Museum London.

USA
New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco all have impressive collections of artworks and photographs, and regular exhibitions allow visitors the chance to see some exceptional work. In Chicago, areas including Hyde Park, Pilsen and Bridgeport have dozens of new galleries that feature young artists. They also present work in a number of different mediums, resulting in unusual and eclectic collections. Fans of contemporary art are not disappointed when touring the Hyde Park Art Center and the Logan Center, and in Pilsen about 30 artists run their own galleries at 18th and Halsted.

A great way to enjoy the Pilsen art experience is to participate in one of the gallery walks, which take place on the second Friday of every month. Alternatively there is an art crawl in the River North area on the first Thursday of every month, which visits a selection of galleries. Craftworks are often shown at the Ken Saunders gallery, particularly beautiful glass objects. The Project Room is the place to see Tibetan photos and prints from Cuba, while at Richard Norton Gallery the work of the impressionists and modern paintings are on display.

Chicago is wonderful in terms of public art and street art and staying in vacation apartments in Chicago is a great way to get close to the artistic heartbeat of the city. Folk art also has a place here, at Intuit – The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. This is a different kind of art experience, defined as the work of artists who are motivated by unique personal visions rather than being influenced by the mainstream art world.

Australia
The iconic Sydney Opera House marks the city as an important home to artistic endeavor, however, in 2015 the ‘capital of culture’ Melbourne was rated by the Economist intelligence Unit for the fifth year in a row as the world’s most livable city. Home to diverse art forms including literature, music and theater it is also a major center for street art, Australian impressionism (The Heidelberg School) and film. Annual festivals include the Melbourne International Arts Festival, Moomba (from the Aboriginal for “let’s have some fun”) and Melbourne Writers’ Festival.

Modernist influences from abroad, notably Europe, shaped the photographic scene in Australia and Melbourne was the home chosen by photographers such as Wolfgang Sievers and Henry Talbot. The Centre for Contemporary Photography in Melbourne stages exhibitions, runs master classes and organizes a host of events regularly. Well worth a visit, it’s open every day although best to check times before setting out.

Every city has an arts scene to some extent and undoubtedly discovering just what this consists of is part of the process of discovering the city itself.