The quirky Dali-Theatre Museum in Figueres, showcasing the artist’s work and personal collection, makes for a great day trip from Barcelona.

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 Vienna, Austria’s stylish and sophisticated capital, is one of our favorite destinations for design and architecture touring. The compact city is a veritable open-air museum of fascinating buildings that reflect its changing styles and power structure over the centuries. As the former capital of the Habsburg Empire, Vienna has a wealth of Baroque architecture, including beautiful churches […]

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If you’re interested in Japanese pottery, we highly recommend having Artisans of Leisure arrange a private meeting with Robert Yellin. Considered a foremost authority on Japanese yakimono (ceramics), Yellin has lived in Japan since 1984 and has written and lectured extensively both in Japan and abroad. Yellin runs Yakimono Gallery from an early 20th-century teahouse steeped […]

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St. Petersburg, Russia, is a must for anyone interested in art and design. Beautiful palaces and museums in the former imperial capital overflow with incredible art treasures. The most renowned of these is the State Hermitage Museum, a mind-boggling art collection housed in the pistachio-green-and-white Winter Palace and adjoining structures built by the Romanov czars. […]

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Udaipur, a city in Rajasthan, India, has a long history and tradition of beautiful decorative arts. One of the best places to appreciate the many local styles and techniques in Udaipur is at the City Palace. Over the centuries, local maharanas (princes) brought the most skilled craftsmen to decorate the palace with intricate carvings, detailed […]

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An interesting part of any trip to Peru is exploring the country’s rich history and culture through its fascinating arts and crafts. Beautiful handmade textiles are among the most famous Peruvian crafts. They’re also among the most ancient: The oldest fabrics discovered in Peru have been dated to around 10,000 B.C. Artisans of Leisure Peru […]

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The arrival of autumn has us thinking of Pumpkin, Yayoi Kusama’s iconic sculpture on Naoshima, an island in Japan’s Seto Inland Sea that’s one of our favorite destinations in Asia for contemporary art and architecture. The collection of museums and artworks set among the island landscapes and known as Benesse Art Site Naoshima provide many opportunities for […]

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For travelers interested in decorative arts, the spectacular Juna Mahal (“Old Palace”) in Rajasthan, India  is sure to be a highlight of touring in the region. Built in the 13th century for an aristocratic family, the Juna Mahal was expanded over the centuries, finally reaching seven stories. The last residents of the palace moved out […]

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