Written by THARUSHI GUNARATNE for THE DESIGN COLLECTIVE
A lot of major tourist destinations, including cultural institutions, closed their doors temporarily as COVID-19 spread rapidly. However, this pandemic paved an innovative way for these institutions to connect with people across the globe— through the internet. While the lockdown may have lifted, this new virtual culture remains as it’s a safe and new way to indulge in these fabulous cultural institutions from the comfort of your own home.
Art and Museums:
Google’s Arts & Culture platform has teamed up with over 2500 galleries and museums to offer show-stopping exhibitions from around the world. The Museum of Modern Art in New York, Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris are only a few on the list. Now is your chance to feast your eyes and catch a glimpse of some of their most notable artworks for a closer-than-real-life look on these world treasures!
Here our some of our suggestions:
Musée d’Orsay: Paris, France
Take in 278 masterpieces here, including Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait, and Éduoard Manet’s legendary nude, “Olympia.” All the pieces have extensive descriptions and notations, giving you all the information you can possibly need.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris
Uffizi Gallery: Florence, Italy
Take a virtual walk through Florence’s artistic gem and stop to admire some of the museum’s most famous inhabitants such as Sandro Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”. While on tour, don’t forget to scroll up the screen and look at the beautiful frescoes on the ceiling, painted by Alessandro Allori.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery
Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) – New York, USA
Peruse the likes of Henri Rousseau’s “The Dream”, his last completed piece, which features an almost surreal portrait of his Polish mistress Yadwigha and the widely famous “The Starry Night” painted by the Dutch impressionist Van Gogh which has been in the permanent collection of MOMA in New York City since 1941.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/moma-the-museum-of-modern-art
Rijksmuseum: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Get up close with some of the world’s most loved artworks. Visitors are allowed to browse artworks from the Amsterdam museum, accompanied by videos, audio clips and 360º images via a new online platform. Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch” and Vermeer’s “The Milkmaid” are only some of the 700,000 high-resolution masterpieces to view.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/rijksmuseum
Johannesburg Art Gallery: Johannesburg, South Africa
Browse more than 500 works from Africa’s largest art gallery. While the museum houses plenty of works from European artists, it also offers an array of masterpieces from South African artists. If you’re looking for an art history lesson, browse their online exhibit about the role of photography and the resistance in the era of Apartheid.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/johannesburg-art-gallery
Tate Galleries: UK
This art powerhouse is offering downloadable exhibition guides for the recently opened Aubrey Beardsley and Andy Warhol exhibitions. Their online collection, featuring Salvador Dali and David Hockney is also available to view as part of their Staying Inspired At Home initiative.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/tate-britain
Explore the landmark exhibition “Faces of Frida,” curated by Google Arts & Culture in collaboration with 33 museums and organisations. The free digital exhibition offers a glimpse into the pioneering artist’s life and legacy, with artworks from multiple collections around the world.
https://artsandculture.google.com/project/frida-kahlo
Inspired and looking to bring some artistic pieces home? The collection ‘La hija de Picasso’ designed by Gai by Gayanth Karunarathne is available in our store and has been inspired by the work of Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Ruiz Picasso. Check them out here!
Opera and Ballet:
Vienna State Opera: Vienna , Austria
Vienna’s love affair with art and music is a passionate and long enduring one. Among the great list of composers- Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Haydn and Berg all spent time in Austria’s capital. Today, the legacy is maintained by the splendid selection of concerts that are offered in Vienna’s fine music venues, including the State Opera House which has an extremely high demand for tickets. Since you can’t be in Vienna right now, treat yourself to full streams of some of the Vienna State Opera’s latest performances including Aida, Tosca, La Traviata, The Magic Flute, Ballet Nutcracker, the Marriage of Figaro, der Rosenklavalier and many more.
Paris Opera: Paris, France
Paris Opera is one of the city’s most culturally rich jewels and an essential part of its heritage. They will be exhibiting its most beautiful shows retrieved from its archives available free of charge online. From Don Giovanni to Swan Lake and The Tales of Hoffmann, there are many great classics to see or rediscover from home!
Royal Opera House: London, UK
Whether you’re new to ballet and opera or have loved it all your life, the Royal Opera House has something for you. Their YouTube channel is streaming opera and ballet performances, such as Romeo and Juliet, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Verdi’s La Traviata. The iconic London venue is offering a peek behind its closed doors, making it ideal for taking in the highlights.
If Opera and ballet aren’t your cup of tea, you can binge-watch more than 300 musicals and theatre productions to your heart’s desire on BroadwayHD. The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Kinky Boots, 42nd Street—you name it, they’ve got it. In addition to its pre-existing library, BroadwayHD also offers new playlists for all you musical lovers.
Cultural sites:
Discover the extraordinary array of virtual content on offer from Google Arts & Culture. The technology allows private and close-up tours of some of the world’s most interesting and spectacular locations.
Here our some of our suggestions:
Palace of Versailles: Versailles, France
Listed for the past 30 years as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Palace of Versailles constitutes one of the finest achievements of French art of the 17th century. The Hall of Mirrors, the King’s Grand Apartments and the gorgeous gardens make The Palace of Versailles one of the most visited cultural sites in the world today. Explore all of its Baroque art, astounding architecture and finery. For an early birds-eye-view of the grounds, step outside of the palace interior.
https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/palace-of-versailles
The Sistine Chapel: Vatican City
Known as a sacred place in which the paintings, like the images of a book, serve to render the verses expressed in the Holy Scriptures more understandable. Go straight to zooming in on all of the detail on the Sistine Chapel and pay special attention to the frescoes on the ceiling painted by the extraordinary Michael Angelo’s. On this virtual tour, be sure not to miss the frescoes along the way created by a team of painters including Pietro Perugino, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio and Cosimo Rosselli.
Taj Mahal: Agra, India
Take a virtual walk through of this ivory-white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna river. Situated in the Indian city of Agra and built by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, the Taj Mahal is the most iconic piece of architecture located in south-east Asia. The tomb is the centrepiece of a 17-hectare complex, which includes a mosque and a guest house, and is set in formal gardens bounded on three sides by a crenellated wall.
https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/taj-mahal/m0l8cb?categoryId=place
The Prambanan Temple: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
The Prambanan Temple is also known commonly as The Hindu Masterpiece. Step up to the spires with the arrow marks on your screen, and drag your cursor to get a good look at all the carvings. Take a virtual walk across the lush green park that surrounds the temple and admire the dark grey and black spires rise towards the sky.
https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/prambanan-architectural-magnificence/eQIyCjd9u0u8Lg
Inspired by the geometric structures, clean lines and ornate details of some of these timeless architectural structures is the Bavēli collection designed by VITAE by Zirc Jewellery. Each of these pieces is handcrafted with a signature setting and enhanced with uniquely sourced natural gem stones.