We’ve shown you many beautiful libraries from around the world, and we’ve shown you some of the most fantastic museums, as well — so what about gorgeous museum libraries? Well, because many museum libraries are strictly utilitarian, meant for easy browsing and not necessarily planned to be easy on the eyes. That said, some standouts manage to be both, and since we’re always on the lookout for lovely architecture, preferably lovely architecture that incorporates books, we thought we’d round a few of them up for you here. After the jump, check out 11 of the most beautiful museum libraries from around the world, and as ever, let us know if we missed your favorite in the comments.
Photo Credit: Amit Geron
Tel Aviv Museum of Art Library, designed by Preston Scott Cohen, Tel Aviv, Israel
Photo Credit: Junho Jung
National Art Library, at Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England
Photo Credit: Alex Roman
The Library at the Shiba Ryotaro Memorial Museum, designed by Tadao Ando, Osaka, Japan
Photo Credit: Eneas
The Reading Room of the British Museum Library, London, England
Photo Credit: A View on Cities
The Plantin-Moretus Museum Library, Antwerp, Belgium
Photo Credit: Daniel Schwabe
The Vatican Museum Library, Vatican City
Photo Credit: Kimbell Art Museum / Parker
Kimbell Art Museum Library, Fort Worth, Texas
Photo Credit: Roland Halbe
Joanneum Museum Library extension, designed by Nieto Sobejano and eep architekten, Styria, Austria
Iwaki Museum of Picture Books for Children, designed by Tadao Ando, Fukushima, Japan (sort of cheating, but can you blame us?)
Photo Credit: Gypsy Girl’s Guide
The Library in the Charles Dickens Museum, London, England
Photo Credit: Pietro Savorelli
The library in the Historical Museum of Resistance, Sant’Anna di Stazzema, Italy