See full version: The 19 best virtual museum tours in the world
This includes the modern and contemporary art and design collection, the British and European collections, and the 19th century and 20th-century Australian art collections. Virtual self-guided tours of exhibits include ‘Big Weather’ and ‘Marking Time: Indigenous Art from the NGV’. [links]
“Pupils from Andover to Aberdeen and Brecon to Belfast can now experience some of the museum’s incredible treasures from their own classroom, potentially sparking a lifelong curiosity in the history of the world,” said Hartwig Fischer, director of the British Museum. more
The British Museum was offering virtual visits before the outbreak of COVID-19 . In 2019, it expanded its ‘virtual visits’ programme, which allows school pupils to experience the collection remotely. more
Situated on the banks of the Seine in Paris, the Musée d’Orsay can be found in the former Orsay railway station, built between 1898 and 1900. The museum in France displays art from 1848 to 1914, including works by Monet, Cézanne, Van Gogh and Renoir. As well as exhibits and 277 items from the Musée d’Orsay’s collection, Google Arts & Culture includes a virtual tour of the museum itself. [links]
Founded in 1929, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York houses a vast collection of more than 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, models and objects. Highlights include Claude Monet’s Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night and Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. here
Founded in the early 16th century by Pope Julius II, the Vatican Museums house one of the world’s biggest art collections of around 70,000 works. The Vatican Museums showcase artworks from the Catholic Church’s collections, including Roman sculptures and Renaissance art. Highlights include Egyptian mummies, old masters, statues, rooms painted by Raphael and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
Art lovers may be more interested in the virtual tour of the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wings, which allows users to tour the gallery’s collection of Renaissance-era art in the comfort of their own home. here
“The National Gallery believes immersive media like VR has the potential to change the way people create, consume, and distribute art,” Digital Director Chris Michaels said. “We want to explore the many different ways that will impact what we do and are delighted to work with Oculus, Vizor, and Matterport on this brilliant collaboration.”
The full tour will launch in December and will allow users to explore two of the gallery’s rooms.
“We’re hugely excited to offer people around the world access to this first-of-its-kind gallery tour,” Hannah Boulton, Head of Press & Marketing, told Oculus. “The British Museum has always been open to everyone, but this kind of technology means we can make this a reality in an unprecedented way, allowing anyone across the world to immerse themselves in our Egyptian collections. We’re proud to have worked with Oculus on this important project.”
The first one on offer is an interactive look at Sony’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. The program is basically a 3D scavenger hunt where you explore the jungle and pick up objects to unlock behind-the-scenes footage from the upcoming movie. You might see it as a high-tech version of the special features section one would find on a DVD or Blu-Ray set. more
Designated a historical monument, the Musee d’Orsay was designed by Victor Laloux. These days, it features a fine collection of Impressionist works and Post-Impressionist paintings. more
The British Museum also has two virtual galleries on their own website: Oceania and Prints and Drawings. Another good way to view the museum’s online exhibits is on their Google Arts & Culture pages. There are over 50 to choose from including Guatemalan Masks and Buddhist Art in Myanmar.
The Met 360° Project is a series of six award-winning videos created with 360° technology. They enable viewers to discover the museum’s key spaces with a virtual visit including The Great Hall and The Temple of Dendur.
You can either enjoy the virtual 360° tour or experience it in virtual reality if you happen to have a VR headset. There’s also a Google virtual tour of 7 rooms and the Central Hall, which showcases works by Holbein, Titian and Veronese. [links]
An attraction visited by millions of tourists in person every year, the Louvre Museum has also created a selection of virtual tours based on its permanent collections. Explore Egyptian antiquities, the Remains of the Louvre’s Moat, and the decorative arts of the Galerie d’Apollon.
For a more interactive experience, check out the Museum of the World tour. You can browse through a large selection of exhibits that are dated by century, continent and category – such as trade and conflict or art and design. Each exhibit offers a detailed description as well as accompanying audio, which helps provide a fascinating backstory to each piece. here
Take a leisurely virtual stroll through the opulent hallways and witness works from dozens of famous French artists, including Monet, Gauguin and Van Gogh. With no other visitors to contend with, you can soak up all the culture on display to your heart’s content – and there’s a lot to soak up. [links]