If you want to find unique gifts for the special people in your life, visit the online shops of some of the world’s best museums. Museum gift shops cater to every taste, age, and wallet, from gorgeous art books to fun games, beautiful home decor, affordable art prints, and more. With items selected from world-renowned museum gift shops, you’re sure to create a surprise with thoughtful and unique gifts from around the world.
Photo: 1000 Words/Shutterstock
14 Unique, Artsy, and Affordable Gifts Inspired by the World's Best Museums
We hope you love the spaces and stays we recommend! Just so you know, Matador may collect a small commission from the links on this page if you decide to book a stay. Listed prices are accurate as of the time of publication.
- Art gifts for kids and families inspired by Le Louvre, Paris
- Gifts for art lovers inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), NYC
- A unique gift idea inspired by the British Museum, London
- Art gifts for kids from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
- Unique gift ideas inspired from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), NYC
- Gifts inspired by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), London
- Unique gifts inspired from the American Museum of Natural History, NYC
Art gifts for kids and families inspired by Le Louvre, Paris
The Louvre has an online museum store that includes unique gift ideas for children and families. One of the most popular items available is a pottery kit to reproduce one of the museum’s most-loved pieces: Hippopotamus. On display in the Egyptian Antiquities department of the Louvre, the bright blue figurine dating back over 3500 years is extremely popular with both adults and children, not only because of its adorable look but also thanks to its fascinating story as a funerary statuette found in the tomb of Tutankhamen. The make-your-own blue hippo kit ($23.25) will keep kids entertained and is a great opportunity to teach them about Ancient Egypt. If you want a replica of the statuette without having to go through the process of making your own, you can purchase one for just $9.99.
For the whole family to share some fun away from screens, check out one the museum’s latest additions to its gift shop: A 3D puzzle of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ($58.20). While the cathedral is currently closed for extensive renovations after the devastating 2019 fire, you can prepare for your upcoming visit by building its 3D replica. You can also find a more detailed 3D puzzle of the emblematic Parisian monument on Amazon for $59.99.
Buy a 3D puzzle of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral
Gifts for art lovers inspired by The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), NYC
The ultimate gift for an art lover who lives nowhere near New York City is The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings ($85), a beautiful book that features more than 500 masterpieces from the museum. That way, they get to have a little piece of the MET at home, and they can plan for what they’d like to see during their next visit.
For the art and Disney-obsessed in your circle, the MET’s Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts ($38.99) should do the trick. The hardcover illustrated book explains how European art made its way into Disney films like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Beauty and the Beast..
Buy “The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Masterpiece Paintings” Now
Buy “Inspiring Walt Disney: The Animation of French Decorative Arts” Now
A unique gift idea inspired by the British Museum, London
One of the flagship exhibits in the British Museum is the Lewis Chessmen, i.e. 82 intricate chess pieces carved into walrus ivory and whale’s teeth in Norway between 1150 and 1200 AD. Discovered in the 19th century on the island of Lewis in Scotland, they have inspired the pieces used in wizards chess in the movie Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. For those who are passionate about mysterious archeological discoveries, Harry Potter, chess, or all three, a chess set featuring replicas of the Lewis chessmen pieces ($206.99) would be the perfect gift.
Buy a Lewis chessmen chess set Now
Art gifts for kids from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
If you want to get your children interested in art, check out Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum’s Playmobil collection. There are Playmobil versions of Van Gogh and Rembrandt painting their self-portraits ($6.30), as well as great sets representing Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” ($6.30) and Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” ($8.40), probably the two most famous art pieces in the Rijksmuseum.
Unique gift ideas inspired from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa), NYC
Being a museum of modern art, MoMa has the edgiest museum store of all the art museums, from beautifully designed homeware like clocks, teapots, furniture, etc. to trendy decorative pieces and clothing. But all those avant-garde items come at a hefty price. If you can’t afford the museum store’s beautiful Lumio Book Lamp ($225), a rechargeable and portable book-shaped lamp that illuminates when opened, check out the very similar Anwick Lamp Book ($22.97) on Amazon. For a Yayoi Kusama poster that won’t break the bank, moved right passed the $850 version from MoMa and get a set of six Yayoi Kusama vintage art prints for just $14.99.
Buy Yayoi Kusama vintage art prints Now
Gifts inspired by the Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A), London
As expected, the world’s leading museum of art and design, the Victoria & Albert Museum, has a lot to offer for those looking beautiful, artsy gifts. And if it’s a lover you’re trying to shop for, we’ve got just the thing, inspired by the collection of eye miniatures, also known as Lover’s Eyes, displayed in the V&A. A Lover’s Eye is a miniature painting of one’s eye gifted to their loved one. Eye miniatures were extremely popular in the late 18th and early 19th century and were meant as intimate, but discreet tokens of love. While this may inspire you to get your own eye portrait done, you can also opt for a simpler option and purchase a Lover’s Eye from the V&A online gift shop for just $4.25. To make sure that the message is understood by the recipient, get “Lover’s Eyes: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection” from Amazon ($36.49), a beautiful book explaining this unusual and short-lived fad.
Buy “Lover’s Eyes: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection” Now
Unique gifts inspired from the American Museum of Natural History, NYC
The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is the most-visited museum in the United States. Visit the museum gift shop to support this great American museum and find original presents for your loved ones. The retro-looking Ladies Female Astronaut t-shirt ($25) is a surefire way to inspire all the women in your life to reach for the stars. If you’re looking for something that will suit an adult, a child, or the entire family, check out the museum gift shop’s beetles and insects 500-piece puzzle ($20). If you prefer something a little less focused on creepy-crawlies, have a look at Eeboo’s gorgeous animals puzzle ($14.95) or its round and poetic moths puzzle ($21.99). 
Buy a Ladies Female Astronaut t-shirt Now