Visiting an art museum can be one of the greatest experiences when exploring another country or near your home. Art museums offer collections of the best art from different places, different people and different time periods. People visit art museums for various reasons, whether it’s to dive into Edo Period Japan, admire Monet’s paintings or just experience the thrill of being surrounded by such rare and original works of art. Unfortunately for not only travelers, a global pandemic has struck the world. Many places have implemented a stay-at-home order where old tourist attractions and destinations are now being abandoned. It’s not all dire though because many art museums around the globe have created free virtual tours for people to enjoy. Here is a list of some of my favorite art museums that have gone virtual.
The Louvre: First on the list for great museums you can dive into virtually is The Louvre. The Louvre is the most visited art – museum in the world and is based in Paris, France. It’s home to the widely known Mona Lisa and you can easily access the enormous array of beautiful art that dates back as far as 7000 BC. This now online museum offers one of the most diverse and interesting collections of art that Europe has to offer and is a great way to see incredible relics of history. For students who are interested in this, the Louvre not only has free virtual tours but also has immersive VR experiences for people who want to maximize their virtual journey. The tours are easy to use and are easily accessible from the link provided above.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Next on the list is The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MMA). This popular museum is based in New York City and can be a quite crowded place to be when in person. Luckily for people that prefer a more private viewing experience the MMA offers an incredibly immersive virtual tour.
Unlike some of the other museums on this list, this one provides a 360-degree tour where you can even admire the architecture of the MMA. This museum which happens to be the largest art museum in the United States, has a large collection of beautiful art from renowned artists all over the world. This museum is also famous for some incredible work from Vincent Van Gough. If you’re looking for a more modern feel with timeless paintings and sculptures on your virtual tour, then the Metropolitan Museum of Art is for you.
The Google Art Project: The last on the list is The Google Art Project. Veterans of art museums probably would not think of this as a go-to when it comes to virtual tours, but The Google Art Project is one of the best
virtual tours you can get. Google decided to work with over 1200 cultural institutions from all around the world with the goal in mind of making some of the finest art easily accessible in high definition. For someone who doesn’t know where to start looking when it comes to online art – museums, The Google Art Project is an easy to place to get lost. Although there is an enormous amount of art in all forms captured through Google, simply click around and you will end up seeing some of the most amazing art that you can find.
These were some of my favorite art museums that have gone virtual since the pandemic has started. During this time, I’ve reconsidered what I previously thought was a museum. Although there are some incredible opportunities to explore an entirely different world from the one many of us are living, visiting these places online was not the same. My previous idea of a museum was a building that holds art. Through the experience of having to switch to visiting these museums online, I’ve realized that being present in the building itself is part of visiting an art museum. For me this holds true when thinking about being part of a community, as a Northwest School student, I am part of this community, but not having been in the building for a year has detached many of us from that idea of community. Just like art, spending time with your friends in person is an entirely different experience. Even so, with this knowledge of some top tier virtual art – museums, hopefully you can enjoy it to its fullest during this unpredictable time.
