While it would be nice if you could just drop everything, hop on a plane and go experience renowned works of art in person in any number of cities around the world, real life tends to get in the way of that cultural daydream. But Google’s new Arts & Culture app brings the art to you — and you can even put your fingers on it when you pinch and zoom on your mobile device!
In a blog post on Tuesday, Google said the website and app allows users to immerse themselves “in cultural experiences across art, history and wonders of the world — from more than a thousand museums across 70 countries.”
What’s great is that the app allows extensive searching of various keywords that may be related to a piece of art or a particular monument. You can also scroll through art by time, browse by color and explore new stories every day. And check out how close you can zoom in on assorted works via this web page.
Virtual tours are also available. I just stepped out of the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris where I was taking in a 360-degree view of Monet’s waterlilies. Google also promotes its Cardboard VR viewer as a way to tour street art in Rome or look around the ancient Greek temple of Zeus, for example.
Furthermore, clicking “visit” on a museum’s page will offer up details on location and hours so you can still make that trip in person some day.
If you do get to a museum and come across a piece that you want more information on, Google is a testing an Art Recognizer tool that views an artwork through your phone camera and delivers the details. It’s currently available in London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery, Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.
