How the British Museum, the Louvre, the Uffizi and more are
bringing their treasures into your home
1British Museum, LondonTake a virtual tour of
the museum
Much of the British Museum’s collection of
around eight million objects, spanning over two million years of human history
and culture, is available to explore online. The Google Arts & Culture
virtual tour is perhaps the most enjoyable and glitch-free way of discovering
it.
The Reading Room in the Great Court of the British Museum. Photo © Trustees
of the British Museum
Highlights on ‘virtual’ display include the
Lewis Chessmen, a remarkable group of 12th-century chess pieces carved from
walrus ivory and whales’ teeth, and the decorated wooden coffin of an ancient
Egyptian named Pasenhor. The Museum of the World timeline, curated by category,
continent and century, is a brilliant alternative for those in search of a
whistle-stop tour of star exhibits.
The 12th-century Lewis Chessmen. Photo © The Trustees of the British Museum
For teachers and parents on home-schooling
duties, the museum’s comprehensive bank of free learning resources covers
everything from Ancient Egypt and Japanese Printmaking to drawing and critical
thinking activities for toddlers to teens.
Don’t miss… The British Museum’s series of downloadable podcasts.
Browse the archive of 13 episodes to hear more about the museum’s activity,
from exhibitions to accessibility programmes.
2Uffizi Gallery, Florence Enjoy a virtual stroll around the Uffizi
Gallery
The Uffizi houses one of the world’s outstanding collections of
sculptures and paintings from the Middle Ages to the Modern period, including
ancient statues and busts once in the collection of the Medici family.
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, circa 1485. Tempera on canvas. 172.5 x 278.5 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Photo
Bridgeman Images
Take a digital stroll through the galleries to
marvel at such masterpieces as Leonardo da Vinci’s Adoration of the Magi (1480-81) and The Birth of Venus (1483-85) by Sandro Botticelli. In addition to the
Google Arts & Culture virtual tour, you can explore four online exhibits, each
of which is dedicated to an outstanding work in the museum’s collection.
Elsewhere on the museum’s homepage you can find links to the
browsable digital archives and its online magazine.
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio),Venus of Urbino, before 1538. Oil on canvas, 119 x 165 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Photo ©
Raffaello Bencini Bridgeman Images
Don’t miss… Titian’s Venus of Urbino (1532-34), bought by the Duke of Urbino as a
gift for his young wife in 1538. The painting — which depicts a nude young
woman traditionally identified as the goddess Venus in a domestic interior — is
widely considered one of the most sensual paintings of the 16th century.
3Louvre, Paris
Look up close at Apollo’s Gallery
Although the world’s most visited museum is
now temporarily closed, you can still explore a part of its remarkable
collection of approximately 380,000 objects online. Each of the museum’s four
virtual tours (Adobe Flash Player is required) features an interactive map and
detailed explanations of key works.
The Louvre, Paris. Hall Napoleon under the pyramid of the Louvre, by Ieoh
Ming Pei in association with Michel Macary and Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Photo ©
Collection Artedia Artedia Bridgeman
Images
Pink granite Great Sphinx from Tanis, Musée du Louvre, Paris. Egyptian
civilization, Old Kingdom. Photo D. Dagli Orti
De Agostini Picture Library
Bridgeman Images
Discover the history of the Louvre as a palace
and museum on the ‘Medieval Tour’, or take the ‘Egyptian Antiquities’ tour for
a walkthrough of the eastern wing of the Louvre (Sully), home to the
magnificent Tanis Sphinx (2600 BC).
Don’t miss… The virtual tour of the Apollo
Gallery, the first Royal Gallery for Louis XIV. Rebuilt after a fire in 1661,
it features 41 paintings, 118 sculptures and 28 tapestries, including The
Triumph of Neptune, Evening or Morpheus and Night or Diana by Charles Le Brun.
4Rijksmuseum, AmsterdamDiscover the secrets of
Rembrandt’s Night Watch
In response to the current health crisis, the
Rijksmuseum has launched Rijksmuseum From Home, a brilliant multi-media
initiative offering visitors 10 ways to engage with the collection online.
Highlights of the new digital programme include the #Rijksmuseumfromhome short
video series, which sees museum curators discuss their favourite works in the
museum, and Masterpieces Up Close.
Rembrandt van Rijn,
The Jewish Bride, c. 1665-c. 1669. Oil on canvas. 121.5 x 166.5 cm. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. On loan from the City of Amsterdam
(A. van der Hoop Bequest)
The latter slickly recreates the experience of browsing the works
on display in the Rijksmuseum’s Gallery of Honour, home to Vermeer’s Woman
Reading a Letter (circa 1663) and Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride (circa 1665–1669), among others. As you
‘walk’ through the gallery, click on works to zoom in and see them up close. Of
those on display, around 20 have accompanying audio descriptions.
Rembrandt van Rijn,
Night Watch, Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans
Banninck Cocq, 1642. Oil on canvas. 379.5 x 453.5 cm. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
On loan from the City of Amsterdam
Don’t miss… Operation Night Watch, a
comprehensive dive into Rembrandt’s most famous painting: The Night Watch
(1642). The intuitive multi-media presentation unpacks the painting’s secrets,
history and composition in entertaining style.
5Guggenheim, BilbaoWatch Bending Gravity now
Designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry and
built between 1993 and 1997, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a landmark of
20th-century architecture. Organised around a central atrium, the three levels
of the museum can now be explored at the click of a button.
View of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. Photo Courtesy of Museo Guggenheim
Bilbao
To look at the outside and inside of the
museum, take a leisurely digital stroll through the permanent collection,
featuring works by modern and contemporary artists, such as Anish Kapoor,
Anselm Kiefer and Yves Klein. For something faster paced, watch Bending
Gravity, a thrilling short video (in English) that explores the museum building
as seen through the eyes of urban photographer Trashhand and free-runner Johan
Tonnoir.
Spanish-speakers can also enjoy a series of
curator-led video tours as part of the Guggenheim’s initiative to bring the
museum and its collection to your home.
Don’t miss… The short introduction to
Maman (1997), a gigantic bronze spider
by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois. Originally conceived for Tate
Modern’s Turbine Hall in 2000, the sculpture is now one of the artist’s most
recognisable works.
6Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum,
MadridTake a virtual tour of Rembrandt and Amsterdam portraiture, 1590-1670
Madrid’s Thyssen-Bornemisza has unveiled an
enjoyable virtual tour of its blockbuster exhibition, Rembrandt and Amsterdam
portraiture, 1590-1670. Charting the Dutch artist’s activities as a
portraitist, it features around 40 of Rembrandt’s paintings alongside works by
his most talented peers.
Installation view of Rembrandt and Amsterdam Portraiture, 1590-1670. Photo
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
For more information about Rembrandt’s life
and art, take a short guided video tour of the exhibition (in English with
Spanish subtitles) with curator Norbert E. Middelkoo, or leaf through the
exhibition’s accompanying interactive publication.
Beyond Rembrandt, there’s a virtual tour of
the museum’s permanent collection, which spans more than eight centuries of art
history and includes works by artists such as Paul Cézanne, Franz Marc and
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, among others. Online, you can also find links to a
wealth of thematic tours of collection highlights.
Paul Cézanne, Portrait de paysan,1905-1906. Oil on canvas. 64.8
x 54.6 cm. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Ernst Ludwig
Kirchner, Fränzi vor geschnitztem Stuhl, 1910. Oil on canvas. 71 x 49.5 cm.
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
Don’t miss… The museum’s curated edit of Spotify playlists to
soundtrack your days at home.
7National Gallery, LondonTake a a virtual tour of the Sainsbury
Wing
The National Gallery’s homepage offers plenty of links to at-home
resources, including behind-the-scenes videos, story features, detailed guides
to must-see works, as well as virtual tours.
Hans Holbein the
Younger (14978-1543), The Ambassadors, 1533. Oil on panel. 207 x 209.5 cm. National Gallery, London. Photo Bridgeman Images
In 2016 the museum teamed up with Google Street View to offer
360-degree tours of the Central Hall and Rooms 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 15. Although the interactive arrows on these tours are frustratingly fiddly to
navigate, persevere and you’ll come face to face with Renaissance masterpieces
from northern Italy, the Netherlands and Germany, including works by Titian, Veronese
and Holbein.
Titian (circa 1488-1576), Bacchus and Ariadne, 1520-23. Oil on canvas. National Gallery, London. Photo Bridgeman Images
Also offered is a 3D-tour of the Sainsbury Wing, home to the
Gallery’s collection of Early Renaissance paintings, and an additional 2011
Adobe Flash virtual tour of a further 18 galleries. The latter is integrated
with the museum’s information pages, so that you can quickly and easily find
out more about the paintings and the artists who painted them.
Don’t miss… The Gallery’s remarkable collection of 10 works by
Italian Renaissance artist Paolo Veronese, all of which are on virtual display
in either Room 9 or 11d.
8Vatican Museums, RomeMarvel at the
frescoes of the Sistine Chapel
On the ‘Discover the Museums’ webpage, you’ll find links to
360-degree virtual tours of the Vatican’s seven most popular sites, including
the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s Rooms and the Chiaramonti Museum. There’s also
one of the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis, an outstanding example of an
ancient Roman burial ground.
In addition, there are short online videos of other popular Vatican
sites, including the Christian Museum and the 17th-century Chapel of Pope Urban
VIII Barberini.
The Sistine Chapel. On the vault the Stories of Creation are framed by
membrature with Prophets and Sibyls painted by Michelangelo Buonarroti in 1508
to 1512. On the altar wall the Last Judgement executed by Michelangelo himself
between 1536 and 1541. Photo © Mondadori Portfolio Bridgeman Images
Don’t miss… The opportunity for a closer look
at the magnificent painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, which continues to
host the most important services of the Papal Calendar. Completed in 1512,
Michelangelo’s masterpiece spans over 5,000 square feet and features more than
300 figures.
9The State Hermitage Museum, St
PetersburgAdmire the only Michelangelo work in Russia
In a bid to share its remarkable collection
with audiences around the world, the State Hermitage has launched a new series
of video broadcasts on YouTube about works in the collection (currently only
available in Russian). Online, you can also find a selection of educational articles in
English, charting everything from the museum’s history and architecture to key
patrons.
The 19th-century Jordan Staircase, Winter Palace, State Hermitage Museum,
St Petersburg. Photo Tarker Bridgeman
Images
Michelangelo Buonarroti, Crouching
Boy, circa 1530-34. Marble, height 54 cm.
State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg. Photo Bridgeman Images
Highly recommended is the excellent 360-degree
Virtual Visit of the museum’s galleries, complete with an interactive floorplan
and text descriptions of standout works. If you have five hours to spare,
settle in to watch The Hermitage Shot on an i-Phone Pro, a one-take film (with
audio but no voiceover) that takes you languidly through the museum — no
clicking required.
Don’t miss… The Italian Cabinet (Room 230),
which is home to Crouching Boy (1530-1534), the only work by Italian
Renaissance master Michelangelo (1475-1564) in Russia.
10Pergamon MuseumView the Pergamon Altar
Berlin’s Pergamon Museum is home to one of the world’s most
important collections of Greek and Roman art, as well as a remarkable
collection of Islamic and Middle Eastern art. The library of online activities
and resources includes a browsable digital database of the collection, a
360-degree virtual tour of museum galleries, and, most impressively, a 3D model
of its star exhibit, the Pergamon Altar.
Overall view of the Pergamon Altar, built in first half of 2nd century BC.
Photo © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Antikensammlung Photographer Johannes Laurentius
Built during the reign of Eumenes II, king of
Pergamon (in the west of what is today Turkey) in the first half of the 2nd
century BC, the altar depicts the Gigantomachy, the battle between the Olympian
Gods and the Giants. The hall that contains the altar is closed for
refurbishment until at least 2024, so make the most of the 3-D model tool which
allows you to explore the Hellenistic masterpiece up close.
Detail of the Pergamon Altar. Photo © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin,
Antikensammlung Photographer Johannes
Laurentius
Don’t miss…The Market Gate of Miletus, one of
the best-known exhibits in the Pergamon Museum. This large marble monument was
built in Miletus in the 2nd century AD, but was destroyed in an earthquake in
the 10th or 11th century. It was later excavated by a German archaeological team and rebuilt
for display in the Pergamon.
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