Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Carnegie Museum of Art is one of the major art museums of the United States, set on Forbes Avenue in the Oakland district of Pittsburgh. Andrew Carnegie founded it in the 1890s as part of the Carnegie Institute, and it is still known for the Carnegie International, a long-running exhibition of contemporary art. It sits next to Schenley Plaza and Schenley Park, so the museum and an easy green space share one stop.

The story behind it

The museum grew out of the Carnegie Institute, which Andrew Carnegie opened in Oakland in 1895 as a gift to the city. The institute brought a library, a music hall and museums under one roof, and the art collection became its own museum within that complex. In 1896 the institute launched the Carnegie International, an exhibition of new art from around the world that has continued ever since. The idea behind it was to buy the work of living artists and so build a collection of what might become the masters of the future.

The building has been extended more than once. An early twentieth-century expansion added grand halls, and a modernist wing of galleries was built in the 1970s, so the visit moves between very different architectural moods. Right next door is Schenley Plaza, the open lawn that links the museum area to Schenley Park, with a carousel that opened in 2006 and places to eat nearby.

What to look for

• The stone facade along Forbes Avenue shows the grand civic style of Carnegie's original institute, so look up before you go in.
• The Hall of Architecture holds plaster casts of famous architectural details, a rare chance to compare columns and carvings from different eras at close range.
• The contrast between the older halls and the modernist 1970s galleries shows how the museum changed as its collection grew.
• From Schenley Plaza, look back at the museum front to see how the building frames the lawn and the park.

Tips for your visit

• Allow one to two hours inside if you enjoy art, and extra time to rest on the lawn at Schenley Plaza.
• The museum shares its building with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, so decide in advance whether you want one or both.
• Admission is needed for the galleries, so check current opening hours and ticket details before you go.
• Late morning or a sunny afternoon works well, since you can pair the museum with a stroll or a snack in the plaza and Oakland.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Pittsburgh is a good way to see this part of the city on foot. You reach the museum as one stop of a longer route, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Oz Escape: A Wicked Glitch in Pittsburgh suits anyone who likes a playful theme with their sightseeing. You walk between stops, hear the story of each place as you get there, and work out a puzzle in front of what you see. One ticket covers the whole group.

Pittsburgh Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. turns the streets around the museum into a detective outing. The app guides you from stop to stop, tells you about each landmark, and sets a puzzle in what is in front of you. You can start any time, with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.