The 8 best items to buy from beloved museum gift shops

That Van Gogh has to stay on the gallery wall. But there is a way to bring your favorite art home from a museum. Head to the gift shop and take your time perusing the carefully curated offerings — you will always find products featuring the masterpieces on exhibition, alongside one-of-a-kind works by local artisans. The following items, available in person at the shops or online, provide a tangible reminder of your museum experience.

The Promenade eau du toilette (The Getty Museum, Los Angeles)

The Getty Museum collaborated with Italian perfumery Gandini to create The Promenade, an eau du toilette inspired by Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting of a couple walking through a garden. This delicate floral fragrance has notes of jasmine, violet, rose, vanilla and patchouli, the 3.4-ounce bottle adorned with a small reproduction of the early Impressionist art. ($40, £32, The Getty Museum)

'Liberty Leading the People' bookend (The Louvre, Paris)

The revolution begins at home, on the bookshelf. The Louvre may be known for housing "The Mona Lisa," but another one of its masterpieces is "Liberty Leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix, the inspiration behind this metal laser-cut bookend. "Liberty Leading the People" commemorates the July Revolution of 1830, with the Liberty figure also being a symbol of France. ($38, £30.50, The Louvre)

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Author clock (MoMA, New York City)

Keep tabs on the time while expanding your literary knowledge. Every minute, a new quote from a book pops up on this clock's digital display that quite literally spells out the time. There are thousands of quotes, pulled from six centuries worth of tomes, and the quotes are available in English, Spanish, French and German. ($199, £160, MoMA)

Whale umbrella (National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C.)

This large umbrella brings Maynard Johnny Jr.'s painting of a whale into the streets. A Coast Salish artist, Johnny's two-dimensional designs are bright and bold, and because the sturdy umbrella is seamless, the painting stretches out across the fabric, unbroken. ($68, £54.50, National Museum of the American Indian)

Lidded cup with doucai dragons pattern (The National Palace Museum, Taipei)

Doucai is a painting technique used in Chinese porcelain, dating to the Ming dynasty in the 15th century, and this lidded tea cup is based on designs found in the National Palace Museum's vast collection. Dragons symbolize authority, auspiciousness and prosperity and every sip you take out of this ceramic cup will remind you of the power of these mythical creatures. ($111, £89, National Palace Museum)

Book lamp (Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

Light up your reading nook with this intriguing LED book lamp depicting Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus." The book emits light from its durable Tyvek paper pages and can open up to 360 degrees. Weighing in at under a pound, the cordless lamp is recharged using a USB cord and fits in any corner. ($71, 57, Uffizi Gallery)

Van Gogh by Franz Collection almond blossom teapot (Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam)

Vincent Van Gogh's "Almond Blossom" oil painting comes alive with this elegant Franz teapot. The white three-dimensional flowers and brown roots pop against the bright blue base and there is even a 3-D bloom on the very top of the lid. Van Gogh's "Almond Blossom" was special to the artist and his family, as he created it in honor of the birth of his namesake nephew. ($338.38, £272, Van Gogh Museum)

Telephone wire bowl (Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Cape Town)

This bowl, handmade in South Africa from telephone wire, is as bright as it is functional. Use it as a catchall or to hold fruit and vegetables — there are tons of possibilities, and it will look great on any table or counter. The bowls are manufactured by home-based crafters in four South African communities. All of them train together in KwaZulu-Natal province. ($104, £83.50, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa)