Some of the most famous architectural structures in the world are museums—from the white steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts to the iridescent glass pyramid of the Louvre. These buildings have grown so iconic that upon recognition, publics may associate them with a certain level of refinement and history. This sense of branding from some of the most illustrious museums in the world elevates films to another level of nuance when permitted to film in their culutured halls.
Hollywood is renowned for its ability to frame even the most bizarre plans into gripping narratives, much like the frame to an art piece. To achieve this sophisticated effect, numerous producers have used their cinematic prowess to highlight or meticulously replicate museum halls. Here’s a short list of iconic feature films that have used the best museums in the world as backdrops. Links to sites and photo credits provided below photos, as I do not own any of them.
The List:
- Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger in “Ocean’s 8.” Photo: David Lee
Celebrities gather once a year to attend the Costume Institute Gala, orchestrated by Vogue’s Anna Wintour, serving as the perfect setting to stage an art heist. The girl-squad heist movie Ocean’s 8 hit theaters in 2018, and became the conversation of the year for the art, fashion, and pop culture world. In this follow-up to Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s trilogy, a star-studded team of cons is led by Sandra Bullock to infiltrate the glamorous and ultra-exclusive Met Gala to steal a $150 million necklace, worn by acclaimed actress both within and outside the film, Anne Hathaway.
To add to the constellation of stars, the film includes cameos from Kim Kardashian and James Corden. An interesting fact of the film that Rihanna plays one of the eight thieves at the Met Gala, an event that she is co-hosted with Amal Clooney (wife of the original Danny Ocean, George Clooney) later in 2018. As I appreciate the PR brilliance this movie elicts, this is my favorite among this list.
2. Black Panther (2018)
In the opening scene of the internationally acclaimed film, Black Panther, Erik Kilmonger observes Wakandan artifacts being displayed in the fictional “Great Museum of Britain.” While this was one of the only scenes that portrayed a museum, it remains as one of the most iconic in that it sparks the conversations of restitution that plague the real-life British Museum, and other museums that serve to benefit from inaccurately displaying stolen artifacts. As much as I love this movie movie, it is equally hilarious to me that there was a trend of art heist movies in 2018.
3. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou (foreground) co-star with Mona Lisa in “The Da Vinci Code.”
Fun Fact: The Vatican and the Louvre both declined to be involved in the filming of this blockbuster when it came time to adapt the best-selling book Da Vinci Code for the big screen. Box office sales, however, are a significant motivator, and swayed the minds of officials, who saw it as a great avenue for earned media. Since the film’s premiere, the Louvre has come around to Dan Brown’s fantastical universe and is now offering tours that take viewers down cryptologist Robert Langdon’s route.
4. Night at the Museum Trilogy
In the film series directed by Shawn Levy, Ben Stiller portrays a nighttime security guard who experiences a surreal night in the museum as the figures and artifacts inside come to life at night.
The reanimated exhibitions in the first film took place in the Museum of Natural History in New York, which sparked an interest in the real-life exhibitions of the museum.The crew traveled to Washington, DC for the sequel, and due to a of a deal reached with the institution (which is made up of 19 museums), 20th Century Fox was permitted to use the name as well as the facilities for the film, giving the feature legitimacy while the museum gained from exposure to a global audience as a result of the major Hollywood release.
In the final installment of Night at the Museum, the crew was granted permission to film in London’s British Museum overnight.
Six helium balloons, a 40-foot crane to photograph the interior galleries, and 200 staff members were used in the execution of the final film of the trilogy. In order to maintain continuity while off-site filming, the logistics involved collecting casts of the museum’s unique doorknobs in addition to measurements and color samples of the interior architecture and sculptures.
5. How to Steal a Million (1966)
Ending this list on another heist comedy, one of my favorite actresses ever, Audrey Hepburn stars as Nicole Bonnet, the daughter of an art forger who has amassed a sizable collection of purported masterpieces and gained significant notoriety in the art world. When the Kléber-Lafayette Museum approaches Bonnet’s father for a piece in his collection, he gladly lends his most valuable item, his Cellini “Venus,” to the prestigious Parisian organization (which, for the purposes of the movie, is housed in the actual Musée Carnavalet). The intricate craftsmanship of Cellini is turns out to be a fake. This ironic tale of fun and family forgery has stand the test of time as an iconic film even to this day.
Pieces of Paitra 
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