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Raise your hand if you’re missing traveling for art and history
In a time where travel is out of the question, the next closest thing to visiting museums and galleries in far-reaching destinations is to imagine that you’re there. Enhancing the fantasy is Google Arts and Culture, which allows enthusiasts to appreciate venerable global art venues and view their exhibitions with virtual museum tours. Here are international museums worth touring on the platform, so how about visit one a day for the next couple of weeks?
1/11 London: British Museum
Opened in 1759, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history and culture. It was the first of its kind to open to the public and the graphics on this tour are stunning. One of the highlighted virtual collections include Oceania, featuring art and artefacts from the South Pacific islands and a large selection of prints and drawings.
Virtual tour of the British Museum
2/11 Amsterdam: Rijksmuseum
An oasis of classical Dutch art, the Rijksmuseum holds the country’s largest collection of art and artefacts, including 40 Rembrandts and four Vermeers. Featuring mostly Dutch paintings from the 15th Century until 1900, there are a few decorative pieces as well as Asian art in the mix.
Virtual tour of the Rijksmuseum
3/11 Florence: Uffizi Gallery
Scroll through more than 300,000 works in the digital archives of Uffizi Florence’s Renaissance treasure trove. Look up specific paintings by Canaletto, Titian, Botticelli and others, or browse through themes such as epiphany, angels and intercultural vision by clicking on the HyperVisions tab for thoughtfully curated tours.
Virtual tour of the Uffizi Gallery
4/11 Paris: Louvre
While not technically offering a virtual tour, the museum has put more than 480,000 works of art —almost its entire collection—online. Updated on a daily basis, the Louvre Collections are available to view for free on the new platform. Until you’re able to travel again and experience the iconic museum in real life, study in advance some of the world’s most precious paintings, textiles, objects, sculptures, inscriptions and artists online for now.
5/11 Washington DC: NASA
If you’ve always been fascinated by space then you’ve got to explore NASA in Washington DC virtually. This experience will give you a glimpse into how the US government deals with national aeronautics and space administration. Watch incredible videos of test-firing launch systems and missions to the moon before losing yourself in the solar system, stars and cosmic mysteries of space.
6/11 Bilbao: Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
Designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain showcases outstanding modern and contemporary paintings by the likes of Mark Rothko, Yves Klein, Willem de Kooning and Anselm Kiefer. The museum itself represents an architectural landmark of audacious compositions and innovative design.
Virtual tour of the Guggenheim Bilbao Museum
7/11 Stockholm: The Vasa Museum
One of the most striking pieces of history in the city, the behemoth Vasa ship still remains the best preserved example of a 17th-Century vessel in the world. Through Google Arts and Culture, explore close-up images and a historical timeline of events along with realistic background sounds of the moment it sank in 1628.
Virtual tour of The Vasa Museum
8/11 Amsterdam: Anne Frank House
Encounter photographic footage of Anne Frank’s childhood along with extracts from her diaries with the virtual tour of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. The museum is dedicated to her hiding place from the Nazis, specifically the attic.
Virtual tour of the Anne Frank House
9/11 Barcelona: Picasso Museum
Despite being born in Málaga, most of Picasso’s important pieces are housed in Barcelona as he spent most of his formative years there. Dive into the España vibes by taking a virtual stroll through his works, including the insightful reinterpretations of Velázquez’s Las Meninas and his Blue and Rose periods.
Virtual tour of the Picasso Museum
10/11 New York: MoMA
Let Manhattan’s awe-inspiring museum of modern art rock your world from halfway across the world. With a huge online display of architecture, film, design, sculpture and much, much more, some of the museum’s highlights include Van Gogh’s Starry Night, the gallery’s Sculpture Garden section, and the Surrealist Women exhibition. Don’t forget to sign up for MoMA’s newsletter for updates on live Q&As and virtual events!
11/11 Mexico City: The Frida Kahlo Museum
A place where she spent most of her years, La Casa Azul (the Blue House) was set up as a museum after the artist’s death upon her wish. Immerse yourself with her brilliant self portraits, colorful masterpieces and original clothing designs. Transporting you to Mexico virtually, the tour also lets you explore the house itself and the beautiful gardens.
