Beautiful Airport Art You Can See Before Your Next Flight

Seen any good art exhibitions lately? If air travel is on the agenda, you’re in luck: A slew of airports around the world are hosting thought-provoking art.

It may seem counterintuitive—the frenetic terminal environment is hardly equivalent to a peaceful museum—but airports are catching on.

You see, the experience of seeing something beautiful or thought provoking can actually ease the stress of air travel, notes Blake Summers, director of the Airport Museums and Exhibitions program at San Francisco International Airport.

While airports abroad usually earn blue ribbons for concept and design, we’re happy to report that the majority of impressive airport art collections are close to home: U.S. hubs from coast to coast have world-class exhibitions and permanent displays, along with dedicated curators. (San Francisco International, in fact, was the world’s first airport to have an accredited art program.)

Yolanda Sanchez, for example, is the director of fine arts and cultural affairs at Miami International Airport (MIA). She curates works that reflect South Florida’s cultural and ethnic diversity and brings in exhibits that bridge the cutting edge and the mainstream. “Our aim is to choose uplifting works that create that element an of surprise, things that you didn’t expect when you’re traveling and stressed out,” she explains. One challenge when selecting pieces is appealing to the enormous cross-section of viewers who will see them—and this doesn’t just apply to passengers. “We have 30,000 employees here, many of whom don’t get the chance to visit museums,” remarks Sanchez. “This art is for them as well. I like the idea of presenting contemporary art to people who might not otherwise get to experience it.”

Indeed, egalitarianism and accessibility are common denominators when it comes to the airports on our list. Many feature installations that can be touched and interacted with, such as artist Christopher Janney’s “Chromatic Oasis,” where changing lights and sounds are passenger activated, at Sacramento International Airport in Sacramento, Calif. Others, such as Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, feature priceless artworks like the current display of Dutch masters on loan from the Rijksmuseum. The international airport in Brisbane, Australia even has a fascinating, huge-scale installation in the parking lot.

Hartsfield-Jackson International, Atlanta

Early adopter Atlanta International (also known as Hartsfield-Jackson) has been showcasing thought-provoking art since the 1970s, when the first permanent collection was installed thanks to Mayor Maynard Jackson, who purchased 14 original works for the main terminal. Today, this busy hub now has more than 250 pieces, many by Georgia’s most significant artists. The art program is three-pronged: site-specific artwork commissioned from prominent artists, rotating exhibitions and performing arts series. Highlights include Joe Peragine’s “Brute Neighbors,” a colony of ants crafted from cast urethane plastic and copper tubing that crawl across the walls and ceiling above baggage claim, and a collection of hauntingly beautiful black-and-white portraits depicting small-town life taken by Georgia photographer Cicero C. Simmons in the 19th century—admire them on Concourse D. atlanta-airport.com

Madrid-Barajas, Spain

Spain’s busiest airport is a stunner: Its Antonio Lamela and Richard Rogers–designed Terminal 4, a light-filled and airy space with an undulating roof made from bamboo, is a work of art in itself. But the airport also houses a noteworthy contemporary art collection—mostly paintings and sculpture from the second half of the 20th century—including pieces by Spanish masters Joan Miró and Luis Gordillo, along with conversation-starting installations like “Three Ladies of Barajas,” by sculptor Manolo Valdés, located in the T4 check-in area. The three 13-foot-tall bronzes named La coqueta (the coquette), La realista (the realist) and La soñadora (the dreamer) huddle as if talking together. Other fantastic large-scale works include bold murals by Oswaldo Guayasamín and Javier Clavo. aena-aeropuertos.es

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, Kentucky

A series of showstopping 20-by-20-foot Art Deco mosaics, commissioned from German-born artist Winold Reiss during the Great Depression, is the airport’s crown jewel. The pieces were originally housed in Cincinnati’s grand Union Terminal railway station—now demolished—and were painstakingly transferred to the airport in 1972. Works like the graphic pen-and-ink murals by cult street artists the London Police also represents cutting-edge contemporary art. The airport—ranked the country’s best by airline ranking experts at Skytrax—also plays host to what it calls “Surprise Art,” impromptu performances in the terminal spaces by the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company and Cincinnati Ballet, among others. cvgairport.com

Copenhagen Airport

Denmark is the happiest country on earth for the second year in a row, according to a survey of 156 nations called the World Happiness Report, and the good vibes start as soon as you arrive at Copenhagen Airport. Noteworthy Scandinavian art throughout the terminals includes aerial sculptures by Finnish artist Raimo Veranen, a bronze and travertine marble fountain commissioned from Jens-Flemming Sørensen and a copper, stainless-steel and enamel sculpture called “The Four Winds,” made in the 1960s by artist Henrik Starcke. Even the seats are buzzworthy: The airport’s chairs are by design legend Hans Wegner. cph.dk

Singapore Changi

Singapore’s dazzling hub receives the kind of rave reviews you expect to hear about from a high-end restaurant or luxury hotel. Organized, tranquil and loaded with diversions that range from the five specialty gardens (filled with butterflies, sunflowers, cacti and orchids) to the numerous gourmet restaurants and a “Snooze Lounge” for full-length napping, this airport-but-not-as-you-know-it is a work of art in itself. Not surprisingly, there’s also actual artwork to be appreciated, namely the famous overhead sculpture “Kinetic Rain,” the world’s largest kinetic art sculpture, comprising 1,200 bronze droplets attached to motorized pulleys. changiairport.com

See even more airport art at Executive Travel >

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