BY EVAN CAIN
VICE-PRESIDENT/ CO-EDITOR IN CHIEF/ ARTS AND CULTURE HEAD
(All sources linked to images)
A look into the availability of virtual museum tours during quarantine.
The Role of Art in Quarantine
During this time of uncertainty and mandatory isolation, artists all around the world have been struggling to keep in touch with their craft, and the art world has been forced to reinvent itself. Artists have a choice to wait until this madness is over, or do what artists have always done and create! Art is so special because it can bring people together in such beautiful ways.
Unfortunately, numerous art museums have recently lost millions of dollars due to the lack of in-person visits, exhibition fees, educational activities, and other earned income, which have all been halted because of the pandemic. However, they continue to find new ways to keep in touch with artists and art lovers, including virtual tours! From the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam to the Museé d’Orsay in Paris, here are a few art exhibits you can enjoy from the comfort of your own home.
National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. explores paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, photographs, and other works from the Byzantine era to pop art. Opening in 1937, it is widely considered to be one of the greatest museums in the US and before the pandemic, it was free of charge to the public. The National Gallery now offers two virtual exhibits including one about mid 18th century to mid-19th-century American fashion, specifically focusing on Revolutionary and colonial-era renderings, and another displaying the work of the famous Baroque painter, Johannes Vermeer. These exhibits are brought to you by Google Arts & Culture!
Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam
The Van Gogh Museum in the city of Amsterdam displays various works from the famous Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh, who was considered to be one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionist Artists of all time. His work is also notable for its beauty, emotion and colour. The museum offers a series of virtual exhibits where you can enjoy Van Gogh’s collection of oil paintings, neo-impressionist art, and canvas work as well as learn about his life and his other passions. If you are a fan of this tragic, clever painter, this is the online museum for you!
Pictured: A portrait of Vincent Van Gogh from the Musée d’Orsay.
The J. Paul Getty Museum, L.A.
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, California features diverse artwork dating all the way from the 8th century to the 21st century. It also includes wonderful garden views and extravagant architecture in the beautiful county of Los Angeles. You can view its giant collection of drawings, paintings, photographs and other works of art as well as explore ancient Etruscan, Greek, and Roman artifacts through its Google Arts & Culture exhibits. There are over 15,000 pieces in the Getty’s online collection organized by texture!
Pictured: Inside the J. Paul Getty Museum.
Musée d’Orsay, Paris
Ever dreamt of taking a fancy trip to Paris, France? Me too! This beautiful museum features works from numerous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist artists of the 19th to 20th centuries. These art forms focus more on emoting human emotion rather than realism, so they often include unnatural colour, swift brushstrokes, and symbolic motifs. Defining the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements can be difficult, considering there are so many styles, techniques and subject matters evident within the works, but one can start to understand it by tracing back to its historical context and exploring the significance of each motif. Take a virtual trip to France this weekend and enjoy some of the Musée d’Orsay’s most famous works by artists like van Gogh, Degas, Cézanne, and more!
Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy encompasses more than 300,000 pieces of art in its digital archives, focusing mainly on the Renaissance era. A few featured artists of this collection are Botticelli, Canaletto, and Titian! From the Boboli Gardens, a road above the city, to the Palazzo Pitti, a look into a Palace for three dynasties, there is a great number of extraordinary works you can explore through the Uffizi's virtual tours.
Image 1: The exterior of the gallery. (IMAGE SOURCE)
Image 2: A room of the interior of the gallery. (IMAGE SOURCE)
Image 3: Sandro Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’ 1485- 1486 (IMAGE SOURCE)
MASP, São Paulo
The Museu de Arte de São Paulo is an extremely unique art exhibit because it has a very particular way of displaying its artwork! In their galleries, paintings are hung on easels made of crystal to make it look like they are floating in mid-air. How cool is that?! This exhibit also explores art from Italy, Brazil, and France as well as explores picture galleries, art history, and art in fashion. Check out this lovely range of sculpture, paper, photograph and other forms of art in the MASP’s virtual tours through Google Arts & Culture.
Pictured: MASP’s “floating artwork” created with crystal easels.
More Virtual Tours!
All of these online museum tours are extremely vital in keeping in touch with art during this time because it allows art lovers to continue exploring new forms and inspirations without having to leave their home. Most of the exhibits mentioned in this article were created through Google Arts & Culture. Here are a few more spectacular online exhibits that will leave you in awe!
The National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne: Modern exhibits like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s, Crossing Lines, and Kaws’ Companionship in the Age of Loneliness.
The Picasso Museum, Barcelona: Pablo Picasso’s finest pieces and dated Medieval architecture.
The Hong Kong Heritage Museum: Chinese fine art dating back to the Qing dynasty and a strong collection of modern design, photography, ceramics, and sculpture.
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York: Postmodern, conceptual and installation art.
Benaki Museum, Athens: Ancient Greek statues and Byzantine paintings that date back as far as 6500BC.
The Museum of Broken Relationships, Zagreb and L.A.: A nostalgic look at old couples through an ex’s artifact and story behind it.
The Broad, L.A.: Kusama’s twinkling and beautiful Infinite Mirrored Room.
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