Subway Systems With Awesome Art Collections

Everyday millions of people around the world use subway systems to move through their cities, and as a result, public transportation organizations across the globe have put time, effort, and money into making these systems efficient and cost effective. Increasingly, subway tunnels have become a place for art. Many artsy subway systems have become tourist attractions in themselves, featuring some of the world’s most talented artists. From cities we would expect like New York and Paris to some less likely places like North Korea and Russia, take a look at these 15 Subway Systems With Awesome Art Collections.

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Artists: Alexander Deyneka, A. Kuznetsov, E. Veylandan, E. Krests, and M. Ryskin
Location: Moscow

Usually subways are known for being anything but glamorous even if they have cool art. But the subways in Moscow were literally designed to be palaces for the public. The exquisite art and architecture of this metro system are fit for a king. The stations feature decorated friezes, marble and bronze statues, stained-glass windows, and many mosaics. Most of the stations are designed in the Byzantine architecture style (though a few are Baroque) with massive domes, round arches, and towering spires. Not too shabby for a public transportation system.

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Artists: I. Zubkov, A. Kosygin, and Ivan Novikov
Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Russia obviously knows how to do subway stations. The St. Petersburg stations are just as elaborate as the ones in Moscow, but these also feature fancy chandeliers as well as more marble and mosaic. These elaborate subway stations are meant to inspire pride during a daily commute to work, a way to increase productivity in Russia as a whole. For a formerly Socialist country, anything that increased mass productivity was more valuable than gold. We're not sure if it actually worked, but we admire the impeccable architecture and art that came out of this philosophy anyway.

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Artists: Gae Aulenti, Jannis Kounellis, Oscar Tusquets Blanca, Lamont-Young, Robert Wilson, Renato Barisani, Augusto Perez, Lucio Del Pezzo, Nino Longobardi, Atelier Mendini, Mimmo Rotella, Ernesto Tatafiore, Mimmo Paladino, Renato Barisani and Gianni Pisan
Location: Naples, Italy

There are more than 180 artists and architects involved in the Stazioni del Arte project in Naples. The city hired some of its favorite creators in order to make the subway stations stand out. Some of the architects were even allowed to redevelop the entire station. All this effort paid off in 2012 when the Toledo station was named the most impressive subway station in Europe by The Daily Telegraph.

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Artists: Unknown
Location: Pyongyang, North Korea

One of the biggest surprises is that North Korea has an awesome and artsy metro system. This metro system only has 17 stations, but that doesn't limit the insane number of passengers it transports daily (one of the stations has been closed since 1995 because it houses the mausoleum of Kim Il-Sung). This system was inspired by the Moscow metro system and also features a lot of Socialist Realist art, mostly in statue form. It may be chock full of propaganda art including murals of their late leader Kim Jong Il, but that doesn't make it any less fascinating. Because the subway system hasn't been updated in decades, it probably feels similar to stepping back in time when you go underground.

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Artists: Unknown
Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan

This subway system opened in 2011, effectively making it the youngest subway in the world. It took 23 years to construct—complete with stained glass windows, geometric painted patterns, gleaming natural stone floors that imitate oriental rugs, and lavish chandeliers. It's hard to compete with such a new and beautiful subway system; Almaty certainly put itself on the map with this.

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Artists: Maria Keil, Joana Rosa, Behrouz Faeghiyan, Reza Jamiyan, Parchami, Elham Ashrafi, Mohammad Salariyan, and Saber
Location: Tehran, Iran

The vast subway system of Iran's capital city of Tehran is teeming with Islamic art and architecture. Unsurprisingly, the works are all rooted in Iranian culture, nature, literature, and religion. Something that distinguishes this system is that it utilizes the beautiful calligraphy of the Islam religion along with sculptures, mosaics, and paintings. Tehran is definitely one of the most unique metro systems in the world.

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Artists: Unknown
Location: Shanghai

An estimated 6.24 million people ride this system daily. The system itself is not necessarily beautiful or artsy, but a small (and awesome) part of the metro system landed it on this list—the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel. As it's name suggests, it is mostly for tourists to enjoy. The Tunnel runs below the Huangpu River and is one of the most visually stimulating trips imaginable. On the ride, lights blink in every shape and pattern, occasionally forming movie scenes and waving puppets. This light installation is an innovative way to bring art to subway riders through an intense audiovisual experience. The glass tunnel opened in 2000, and has been immensely popular since then.

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Artists: Lutz Haufschild, Narcissus Quagliata, and Richard Rogers
Location: Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Kaoshing is the second biggest city in Taiwan. Its metro system has a modern vibe that you would only expect from one of the most high-tech places in the world. Its most well-known and arguably coolest feature is the Dome of Light at the Formosa Boulevard Station. The dome is 30-meters in diameter and cyclically depicts human life through nature motifs.

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Artists: Germain Bergeron
Location: Montreal

This vibrant subway system has a collection of art galleries throughout its network with works that range from performance art to modern art to classical sculpture. With nearly 1,100,000 riders a day, this space becomes a powerful public forum for art. There are hundreds of pieces in this system, including sculptures, frescoes, and stained glass.

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Artists: Tom Otterness, Robert Kushner, Duke Riley, Felipe Galindo, Sophie Blackall, and Roy Lichtenstein
Location: New York

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York has commissioned more than 170 permanent works of art over the years. New York is undoubtedly one of the hubs of art, and its subway system reflects that. The city's underground world is also known for being a destination for graffiti artists. The combination of the official and unofficial art makes the underground network feel like a true canvas of every side of the city. Perhaps the most beautiful spot in the New York subway system is the abandoned City Hall Subway Station. It has been closed since 1945, but the lavish station still stands like a buried gem.

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Artists: Hector Guimard, Françoise Schein, Rodin, and François Schuiten
Location: Paris

Paris' Art Nouveau metro entrances are probably the most iconic metro signs in the world, but the grasp of the Parisian system is far beyond just that. As you would expect from the world's fashion capital, the stations have a level of sophistication and class that isn't quite like anything else. Many of the stations have replicas of what are around them. For example at the Louvre-Rivoli Station, there are versions of many of the works that are featured in the actual Louvre. Like New York, the Parisian subway system would feel incomplete without the illegal additions of graffiti everywhere. All of this comes together to make the metro that most reflects the diversity of its great city.

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Artists: Mario Toral, Osvaldo Peña, Hernan Miranda, Matias D'Aguiar Pinto, and Alejandro "Mono" Gonzalez
Location: Santiago, Chile

The metro system in Santiago is one of the most extensive systems in Latin America, and it holds beautiful expressions of Chilean culture in every corner. One of the most notable examples of art is at the Universidad de Chile Station, which is home to a huge mural depicting the history of the country created by Mario Toral. It also has the reputation of being one of the cleanest metro systems in the world.

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Artists: Tomás Taveira, Pedro Cabrita Reis, Graça Pereira Coutinho, Pedro Calapez and Rui Sanchez
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon has one of the best-designed subway systems in the world. This is incredible considering that it was the first subway system in Portugal, and it opened in 1959. Many of the stations are themed, ranging from events in Portuguese history to a space station. The subway system's most notable feature is its beautifully painted ceramic tiles, which is actually a Portuguese art called "azulejo."

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Artists: Zbiginiew Peter Pininski and various artists
Location: Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt has one of the weirdest subway systems in the world. Nearly half the population of the city passes through this system every day. One of the city's most famous subway entrances looks like a runaway subway car crashed into the ground. The artist says it was inspired by inspired by Surrealist artist René Magritte. Modern art is sprinkled throughout the rest of the system, sometimes in the most obscure spaces.

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Artists: Ulrik Samuelson, Lasse Lindqvist, Gun Gordillo, Anders Åberg, Karl-Olov Björk, Erland Melanton, Bengt Edenfalk, Enno Hallek and Åke Pallarp
Location: Stockholm

Maybe one of the most well known examples of underground art, Stockholm's subway art is a tradition that's been going on for more than 50 years. More than 150 artists have contributed to the art that is in at least 90 out of the 100 subway stations. Stockholm's subway system is the world's longest art exhibition, making commuting by subway in Stockholm almost like visiting a museum. It is obvious why Stockholm’s subway system has become a tourist attraction of its own.

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