Cristina Hodgson
AS coronavirus continues to dominate our daily lives, with Spain’s state of alarm in force and
measures to limit freedom of movement, avoiding public spaces doesn’t mean you have to miss out on a dose of culture.
You can now experience the world’s best museums from Madrid to New York in the comfort of your own home.
Many institutions across Spain have joined the viral hashtags #YoMeQuedoEnCasa and #QuedateEnCasa, offering the possibility of online art collections, which can be viewed virtually along with their corresponding information.
This Olive Press guide will keep the boredom at bay, and proffer a little culture and education while you’re at it.
Three Top Spanish museums which offer online tours:
1. Prado
Madrid’s Museo del Prado opened to the public on November 19, 1819 as a Royal Museum of Painting and Sculpture. The Prado has been described as a museum of painters not of paintings, given that some of its artists, such as Bosch, El Greco and Goya are represented with more than 100 works. The Prado does a live show on Instagram, also visible on Facebook, every morning at 10:00 am. The live tour lasts one hour. museodelprado.es
2. Thyssen
At the end of February, the Thyssen in Malaga opened one of its star exhibitions, dedicated to Rembrandt and his portrait art in Amsterdam. At the moment it cannot be visited in person, but it can be viewed digitally thanks to the magnificent virtual tour of all the rooms. You can view 80 paintings, never before seen in Europe, directly on your screen. museothyssen.org
3. Picasso
The Palacio de Buenavista houses the Collection of Museo Picasso Malaga. It is located in the heart of the old city, and the building is a magnificent example of 16th-century Andalucian architecture. The ground beneath the Museo Picasso Malaga preserves important evidence of the city’s roots in the past. Exceptional Roman and Moorish remains show visitors the fragments of the city’s history, dating back to the seventh century BC. museopicassomalaga.org
Spanish museums aren’t the only ones offering virtual tours where you can learn about art, history, and science. There are literally hundreds more places to choose from.
Here is the Olive Press Top Ten: (In no particular order)
1. British Museum, London: This iconic museum located in the heart of the city allows virtual visitors to tour the History of Time exhibition and discover the ancient Queen of Sheba and Egyptian mummies. Don’t miss out on the British Museum’s fantastic virtual tour.
2. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C: This distinguished American art museum features two online exhibits. The first ‘Fashioning a Nation’ is an exploration of American fashion from 1740 to 1895, including the portrayal of clothes from the colonial and Revolutionary eras. The second is a collection of works from Verme and the Masters of Genre Painting.
3. Musée d’Orsay, Paris: In the centre of Paris on the banks of the Seine, installed in the former Orsay railway station, you can find this iconic Parisian museum which houses dozens of famous works from French artists who worked and lived between 1848 and 1914. Enjoy the virtual tour and get a peek at artworks from Monet, Edgar Degas, and Gauguin, among others.
4. National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul: Google Arts & Culture makes it possible to visit one of Korea’s popular museums from anywhere around the world. Google’s virtual tour offers the best stories and featured content curated by experts from the museum and takes you through six floors of Contemporary art from Korea.
5. Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam: This gem has the largest collection of artworks by Vincent van Gogh, including over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 personal letters. By virtually visiting this museum, you can easily appreciate the talent of this ingenious self-taught painter.
6. Museo Archeologico – Atene: The National Archaeological Museum is the largest museum in Greece and one of the most important in the world. With three types of exhibitions: ‘Temporary’, ‘Permanent’ and ‘Unseen’, the museum offers numerous online videos to follow and learn more about the Predynatic period, the Ancient Kingdom and the Middle Kingdom.
7. Pinacoteca di Brera – Milano: The palazzo was built on the remains of a 14th century monastery of the Umiliati order which was subsequently given to the Jesuits. In the early 17th century it was turned into the solidly austere building that can be seen today. Its online collection hosts 669 records including: Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s masterpiece Madonna and Child dating from the first half of the 14th century.
8. Musei Vaticani – Roma: ‘The Vatican, the Museum of Museums,’ not only houses the extensive collections of art, archaeology and ethno-anthropology gathered by the Popes over the centuries, but also contains some of the Apostolic Palace’s most extraordinary and artistically significant rooms. You can take a virtual tour through these richly detailed spaces.
9. The Musée du Louvre- France: The Louvre is one of Paris’ most visited attractions, hosting a collection of 35,000 priceless masterpieces and antiques. The museum was once a fortress, built in 1190. In the 16th century, it was turned from a fortress into a royal palace. Visit the museum’s exhibition rooms and galleries, thanks to a virtual tour sponsored by Shiseido.
10. Galleria degli Uffizi – Italy: The Uffizi Gallery is a prominent art museum located adjacent to the Piazza della Signoria in the Historic Centre of Florence. It’s one of the world’s top art museums – housing some of the most important works of the Renaissance, including works by Leonardo da Vinci as well as its outstanding collections of ancient sculptures and paintings (from the Middle Ages to the Modern period). Discover the masterpieces of its collections and history, travelling through captivating descriptions and HD pictures
