1
Centre Pompidou
- Collection Size (items)
- 140000
- Location
- Paris, France
This ranking lists the top 10 global contemporary art museums based on the number of works in their permanent collections. Collection size reflects a museum's scholarly significance, historical depth, and contribution to cultural preservation. Data is based on official museum disclosures and authoritative art research reports (as of 2026).
As the ultimate 'storehouse' of modern art, the Centre Pompidou dominates the rankings with an staggering collection of over 120,000 works. This scale is not only far beyond many national galleries but is vast enough to fill over 50 football-pitch-sized galleries. While lower-ranked museums often struggle to balance the depth of their collection with total quantity, the Pompidou has curated a near-exhaustive slice of modern art history, ranging from Picasso to contemporary installations. To put this in perspective: if you attempted to view every piece in their collection for just 10 seconds each, 24 hours a day, it would take you exactly 14 days to finish.
| Rank | Museum Name | Collection Size (items) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Centre Pompidou | 140000 | Paris, France |
| 2 | Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | 120000 | New York, USA |
| 3 | Tate Gallery | 78000 | London, UK |
| 4 | Städel Museum | 65000 | Frankfurt, Germany |
| 5 | Museo Reina Sofía | 22000 | Madrid, Spain |
| 6 | Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) | 150000 | Los Angeles, USA |
| 7 | Guggenheim Museum | 18000 | New York, USA |
| 8 | Whitney Museum of American Art | 17000 | New York, USA |
| 9 | Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo | 5700 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 10 | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) | 5000 | San Francisco, USA |
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