London is the Best City in Europe for Art Lovers

Degas, Turner, Rembrandt, Munch, Gaudi – Europe has long harboured some of the most famous names in art history.

But which European city is the greatest art hub of all? In order to find out, posterXXL conducted a comprehensive study assesseing five categories: the number of art galleries, art festivals and art schools, as well as the number of famous artists who hail from each place, and the number of buildings designed by a renowned architect. Each factor was combined to give a score out of 150.

Topping the ranks was London, scoring 146.8. The city’s art collections go far beyond the likes of the Tate Modern and the National Portrait Gallery, and it leads the way in Europe with a whopping 261 art galleries.

London also narrowly tops the list for number of artists who have called the city home, with more than 1,100, which is closely followed by Paris’s 1,088.

Amsterdam ranks second, and is home to five art schools and five art festivals, which is more than any other European city. The No Art Festival offers a series of unconventional performances, and This Art Fair features the work of over 100 artists.

German-speaking cities dominate the art festival scene though, as Bremen, Hanover and Leipzig are all in the top ten.

In third place is Rome, which has been home to more than 300 artists, and has six art schools, such as the Accademia delle arti Roma and the Rome University of Fine Arts. Oslo also scores well in this category, with notable schools like the Oslo National Academy of the Arts or the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.

Here are the top 10 best cities in Europe for art lovers, according to posterXXL.