With all of the Principality and much of the world in self-isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are turning to the online world for their social and cultural fixes.
During these difficult times, art is something that reminds us that we are not alone. With the power of the internet, we can escape into our imaginations by coming face-to-face with the works of our favourite artists.
Virtual museum tours are a safe and engaging way to spend an afternoon in self-isolation. So open your laptop and unlock the doors to museums and exhibitions around the world from the comfort of your own home.
1. “Brera is with you!”
The Pinacoteca di Brera and Braidense National Library in Milan has closed its doors, but the heart of the museum continues to beat. This is an unprecedented situation for this museum in particular because even during World War 2, Brera remained open. Through smart initiatives on social platforms Brera is guaranteeing access to the museum and to the library. Bombs didn’t stop this museum from staying open and a pandemic hasn’t either. Learn more at: https://pinacotecabrera.org/
2. High definition masterpieces in Florence
Staff at the Uffizi in Florence has curated special virtual exhibitions at: https://www.uffizi.it/en/online-exhibitions. Discover the masterpieces of their collections and history, travelling through captivating descriptions and HD pictures.
3. The Vatican
The Vatican Museums online catalogue is regularly updated, revised and expanded. Currently it is possible to consult collections ranging from the Gregorian Egyptian Museum and the Tapestries Collection to the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. Moreover, virtual tours thorough the main treasures of the Vatican Museums are accessible online, including Sistine Chapel, Chiaramonti museum, New Wing, Pio Clementino Museum and etc.
4. The Louvre, Paris
Discover virtual artworks from Delacroix, Rembrandt and Tintoretto. Delve into the Egyptian Antiquities exhibition. Or how about a virtual walk around the remains of the Louvre’s Moat, built in 1190 to protect Paris from attack via the Seine? Visitors can walk around the original perimeter moat and view the piers that supported the drawbridge. Four virtual exhibitions are available here.
5. British Museum, London
On a virtual tour through the museum you will be able to see the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies as well as many other treasures of the British museum of London.
6. Athens Archaeological Museum: https://www.namuseum.gr/en/collections
7. Prado Museum Madrid: https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-works
8. Metropolitan Museum, New York: https://www.metmuseum.org
9. Hermitage, Saint Petersburg: https://www.hermitagemuseum.org
10. National Gallery of Arts, Washington: https://www.nga.gov/index.html
Moreover, thanks to the project called Google Arts & Culture you can get up close and personal with the impressionist painter’s most famous works from plenty of museums around the world who partnered with Google to create this project.
