When I learned this week that Google had collaborated with several of the world’s great museums to make their collections available online, I was really excited.
If you haven’t seen it yet, just know that the new is like a portal to other times and places, ones that relatively few people ever have a chance to see. Until now.
The collections are far from complete, and the number of museums may not impress everybody, but Google technology is helping democratize art, making it accessible to people that might not otherwise be able to see it.
Explore some of the world’s great museums
Not only can you take virtual tours through the museums, you can view individual paintings and sculptures in detail and learn about their artists and the works themselves. For free. Without a plane ticket. And without taking vacation time off work.
Need help deciding where to start?
Interested in the architecture that houses some of these collections? Why not explore the in St. Petersburg or the ?
Love anything by Van Gogh? Explore his body of work in the museum named for him.
Can’t afford a trip to New York? Tour or from your laptop while sipping a latte at your favorite wireless-enabled coffee shop.
Hoping to foster art appreciation in your kids? Turn off the TV one night a week and take a virtual tour, one museum at a time.
Want to know more about religious artwork through the ages? Study Russian iconography at the Tretyakov State Museum or Marian art at the Uffizi.
Need a splash of color in your day? See Tightrope Walker, Whirlwind, The Dream, or The Seed of the Areoi.
Or, simply and pick the museum that most interests you.
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About Stormy Sweitzer - Maoomba-in-chief
Thanks, Stormy. You’ve just assured that the next two hours of my day will be spent sorting through all this wonderfulness. While I greatly appreciate that, my boss will not
It is a problem, I know. I spent 2 hours looking through different museums when I first came across the project – easy to get lost in the imagery. Even though I’ve been lucky enough to visit some of these museums in person, this lets me revisit them, visit new places, spend more time with the images that interest me. I do hope that add some more of the images from these museums, but this is a great start!
I too love Google Art Project. It’s amazing. Although, sadly, not quite as awesome as being there in person. You need the scale (and the smells, and the cold of the museum, and foreign voices) to really appreciate what is in the Uffizi in Florence. But, I’d rather see it in Google Art Project than not at all. Thank you Google!
Very true, Emily. Wouldn’t it be great if it was possible to develop a multi-sensory experience that let you experience those things, as well, not just see the art? Nothing can really replace being there. But, it is a great way to see the museums we may never visit in person.