This past fall, I studied abroad in Paris, and my favorite museum space there was the D’Orsay Museum. It features mostly early modern and impressionist art, and is housed in an old train station. I think that the perfectly preserved train station aspects, with the big glass panels and sweeping archways make the space a unique experience for any visitor. The 19th century architecture gives you the feeling of being transported to another time and place, and is in tune with the time period of the art. I think that all good exhibition spaces should have some harmony between the subject matter and the space itself. The overabundance of natural light in the D’Orsay also keeps the museum from feeling stuffy, and I believe proper lighting is also crucial for an engaging space.
The African American History and Culture Smithsonian in Washington DC is another one of my favorite museum spaces. What stands out to me most about this museum is the path that visitors are forced to take through it: starting in the basement and working your way up though both time (forward as you ascend) and physical space. In this way the museum forces visitors to experience a similar narrative, which shows a level of intentionality from the curators. Especially for such an improtant subject matter as the history of black americans, beginning in slavery and ending in great recent achievements tells a very cohesive story.