2. Speaking

Do ex. 1, p. 118.

3. Reading and speaking

Read the following list of the most famous world museums and say which one would you like to visit and why.

METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, New York City — the Met’s goal is to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art that collectively represent the broadest spectrum of human achievement at the highest level of quality, all in the service of the public

BRITISH MUSEUM, London — housed in one of Britain’s architec­tural landmarks, the collection is one of the finest in existence, spanning two million years of human history. You will find art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. Admission is free.

THE TATE MUSEUM, London — is Britain’s national museum of in­ternational modern art and consist of the Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool, Tate St Ives, and Tate Online, part of the group now known simply as Tate.

THE VATICAN MUSEUMS, Rome — is comprised of the papal apart­ments of the medieval Apostolic Palace decorated with frescoes during the Renaissance, the Sistine Chapel the exhibition rooms of the Vatican Apos­tolic Library and the actual museums.

MUSEU NACIONAL DEL PRADO, Madrid — modest but intelligently chosen collection of superb art work is shown.

THE HERMITAGE, St. Petersburg — Excellent quality images of the best 2000 holdings in the museum that contains more than three millions of the world’s masterpieces.

THE SMITHSONIAN, Washington, DC — the world’s largest museum complex and research organization composed of 16 museums and the Na­tional Zoo in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

MoMA (MUSEUM OF MODERN ART), New York City — Moma’s pur­pose is to bring together the established and the experimental, the past and the present all people. It’s collection includes works of architecture and design, drawings, painting and sculpture, photography, prints and illus­trated books, film, and media.

THE UFIZZI, Florence, Italy — excellent quality pictures are shown for top Italian artists’ works like Botticelli, Veronse, an Giorgione. It is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world.

CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU, Paris. It houses the Musée National d’Art Moderne which is the largest museum for modern art in Europe.

THE LOUVRE, Paris — from the Mona Lisa to The Raft of Medusa, from Venus de Milo to the Victory of Samothrace, the site is definitely worth your visit.

THE GUGGENHEIM, Bilbao, Spain is a museum of modern and con­temporary art which houses some of the 20th century’s greatest works of art. Guggenheim in Bilbao has become as artistically renowned as the paint­ings that hang from its walls.

4. Speaking

Do ex. 2, p. 118.

5. Listening

Do ex. 3, 4, p. 118.

6. Reading

• Work in pairs.

Read a piece of information about the Prado, think out and prove your ideas why the Prado is worth visiting.

The Museo del Prado is a museum and art gallery located in Madrid, the capital of Spain. It features one of the world’s finest collections of Eu­ropean art, from the 12th century to the early 19th century, based on the former Spanish Royal Collection. Founded as a museum of paintings and sculpture, it also contains important collections of other types of works. A new, recently opened wing enlarged the display area by about 400 paint­ings, and it is currently used mainly for temporary expositions. El Prado is one of the most visited sites in the world, and it is considered to be among the greatest museums of art. The principal attraction takes root in the wide presence of Vel zquez, Francisco de Goya (the artist more extensively repre­sented in the collection), Titian, Rubens and Bosch, of that it possesses the best collections that exist on a global scale.

The collection currently comprises around 7,600 paintings, 1,000 sculp­tures, 4,800 prints and 8,200 drawings, in addition to a large number of works of art and historic documents. By 2012 the Museum will be display­ing about 1300 works in the main buildings, while around 3,100 works are on temporary loan to various museums and official institutions. The re­mainder are in storage.

The best known work on display at the museum is Las Meninas by Velazquez. Velazquez not only provided the Prado with his own works, but his keen eye and sensibility was also responsible for bringing much of the museum’s fine collection of Italian masters to Spain.

Pablo Picasso’s renowned work Guernica was exhibited in the Prado upon its return to Spain after the restoration of democracy, but was moved to the Museo Reina Sofia, which is mainly dedicated to Spanish art, in 1992 as part of a transfer of all works later than the early 19th century to other buildings for space reasons.

7. Summary

1. Are all museums important?

2. Do you think museums in other countries are more or less interesting

than those in your own country?

3. Which country has the best museums in the world?

8. Homework

Ex. 5, p. 119.

Цілі: вдосконалювати навички усного мовлення й читання; розвивати куль­туру спілкування й мовленнєву реакцію учнів; виховувати естетичний смак і загальну культуру учнів.

Дата

Procedure

1. Warm-up

Do ex. 1, p. 121.

2. Listening

Listen to the text about museums and answer the questions.

1. Where are usually famous museums concentrated?

2. What types of art galleries are there?

3. What else except paintings can we see in art museums?

4. Why are museums so important?

5. What is the best way to learn the history of any country?

There are literally thousands of art galleries all over the world. Almost every city has an art gallery but there are some art galleries that are known all around the world. People will travel across the world just to see some of these famous art galleries and the master pieces that they house inside.

Probably the most famous art gallery in the world is ‘The Louvre’ in Paris. The most famous piece of art in the Louvre is the Mona Lisa, by Leo­nardo Da Vinci. This famous painting is kept under high security as it tops the list of art thieves the world over. The Louvre also houses many other famous paintings by Da Vinci and hundreds of other famous artists.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is a renowned loca­tion for beautiful art masterpieces. This museum has an impressive assort­ment of American paintings. In addition to these, it also has paintings and statues by famous artists such as Botticelli, Raphael, and El Greco. This makes it a global museum.

London has an amazing gallery known as The National Gallery. This gallery boasts of some of the finest examples of European art, including paintings by Raphael, Manet, Leonardo Da Vinci, Renoir, and Monet. This gallery has a very large number of paintings and some of the most famous ones are: Sunflowers, by Vincent van Gogh, The Virgin of the Rocks, by Leonardo Da Vinci, and Venus and Mars, by Sandro Botticelli.

Not all galleries across the world are homes to the old masters. Many of them offer representations from the twentieth century. Among the most famous contemporary art galleries and museums is the George Pompidou Center in Paris. The architecture is unique as well, since the piping and ducts are on the outside, rather than being hidden behind walls.

Contemporary art galleries and museums typically feature not only paintings, drawings, and prints, but exhibits of furniture, sound, light, and even music. Visiting these galleries can be a fascinating visit through the past few decades and shows how much style and taste has changed.

Most of the major European cities are home to at least a national and a contemporary gallery. Usually there are also private galleries. Any time you visit a major metropolitan area, be sure to include the galleries in your itinerary. It’s a wonderful way to learn about a country and its cultures. History and its changes are reflected in the art on display.

If you plan on buying some art pieces, you won’t be able to do so at the national galleries. You can however visit private galleries in your pursuit

of owning some major works. These probably won’t include Renoir’s or Van Gogh’s, but you will find many wonderful pieces that you’ll be able to call your own. Art auctions are often held at Christie’s and other art hous­es. This is another way of obtaining some incredible works of art.

Art as an expression of our culture, thought process and creativity has no parallel. Viewing these masterpieces in an art gallery transposes the viewer into the mind and time of the creator who has shaped our culture.