Online Exhibits of Famous Artists
Rembrandt
Balancing darkness and light seems thematic these days. And who can be a better guide in these dark times than the Master of Light himself? You can start by exploring his self-portraits. After all, he did paint so many of them, probably more than almost any other artist. The virtual exhibit consists of famous self-portraits from different periods accompanied by relevant information on how they affected Rembrandt. Perhaps you never got the chance to see Rembrandt's engravings at BUAP (The José María Lafragua Historial Library). Here you can find portraits of Rembrandt’s family, religious etchings and, you guessed it, self-portraits. You can finish this virtual tour with an overview of Rembrandt’s paintings at the Rijksmuseum.
Van Gough
If you want to lose yourself in the Starry Night or Terrace of a café at night, we recommend the Zoom Into online exhibits. The quality is very high and the interface is user-friendly. While you’re zooming in different parts of the paintings, you get to read interesting information and comments on them. It’s almost like you’re in the gallery with a well-educated guide. Another option is Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles. If you’re interested in a closer look at the famous painting of the bedroom in the Yellow house, it’s a great way to explore it. The views from the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a great opportunity for a more comprehensive tour.
Monet
There’s a wonderful exhibit in the National Gallery in London, called Monet’s Paris. It’s available online with great quality, extensive comments and interesting insights into this period. The virtual exhibit combines the paintings with contemporary street views of Paris. It allows for many now-and-then comparisons and is a great way to explore both the artist and the French capital. If that wasn’t enough for you, you can have a look at these two from the same museum: Monet's Rouen painting series and Monet: The Village and the Picturesque.
Frida Kahlo
There’s a rather unusual and very interesting online exhibit you should definitely check out: Appearances Can Be Deceiving draws the attention to Frida Kahlo’s wardrobe and style. The items can tell you a lot about the famous artists’ life and give you a broader context of her art. Here you can zoom in and have a good look at different items, the accompanying texts are short but very informative. We recommend you combine the tour with views from the Museo Frida Kahlo. There is a garden, studio and kitchen view of the famous La Casa Azul (The Blue House), where the artist was born, lived and died.
Gustav Klimt
If you liked the online exhibits we’ve mentioned so far, you won’t be disappointed by this exhibit of 10 of Klimt’s pieces of art. It’s a combined exhibit with pieces in different museums. It’s an overview, a possibility to enjoy
Klimt’s work online in very high quality. For those who want more, we recommend having a look at The Burgtheater Cycle of Paintings, where you can zoom in the works of both Gustav and Ernst Klimt, and Franz Matsch.
And since we’re already in Vienna, read the next part to find out what else you can see as a virtual visitor there.
Galleries and Museums All Over the World
Vienna
The collection of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien can take your breath away. You can spend all day exploring anything from Ancient Egypt, Greek and Roman
Antiquities to Renaissance and Baroque art. If you were in Vienna right now, you’d need to visit several buildings. From the comfort of your own home, you can do the virtual tour. After that, you should continue walking the halls and rooms of Belvedere. Here there’s a zoom in online exhibit of The Kiss. And a virtual tour of the whole museum is a must if you’re already here. Belvedere is the home of the largest collection of Klimt’s art. Don’t miss the opportunity to see it!
Rome
In a virtual art trip in Europe Rome is simply a must. In fact, we advise you to use the time and simply browse online galleries in Italy. You’ll find extraordinary exhibits and once you get started there’s no stopping it. So just enjoy. We just can’t finish this section without pointing you to
La Galleria Nazionale. Here you’ll find at least 15 online exhibits and 5 different museum views which are definitely worth the time. The gallery is just another reminder of the fact, that the Italian capital is a time machine. It can take you anywhere even while you’re staring at your display.
Paris
The Louvre is just a click away.
On the website, you’ll find several different online tours available for free for virtual tourists. We recommend the Petite Galerie, where you can see works from Tintoretto, Delacroix, and Rembrandt. To make it a bit more dynamic, let’s add contemporary art to the tour and have a look at the Underground Paris - Street Art #1. The Graffiti is made by both French and international artists and it’s a chance to take another walk in Paris, so enjoy it!
New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has done an excellent job of offering digital access to online visitors from all over the world. In collaboration with some great photographers, conservators, artists, curators and collectors it started the MetCollects. If you haven’t had the chance yet, now is the time. You can choose from a huge variety of artworks to see. The Met 360° Project is a very ambitious and well-executed project as well, do try the virtual tour!
São Paulo
MASP or Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand is the first non-profit museum in Brazil. It’s famous for its collections and for the design of the building itself. It’s a landmark of the architecture of the 20th century. The online visitor can find 6 exhibits and 2 virtual views to choose from, including an excellent exhibit of French artworks Art from France: from Delacroix to Cézanne. Let your senses guide you through 200 years of art and tell us how you feel after.
Seoul
We’d like to finish our tour with contemporary art. For this purpose, we chose The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The museum actually houses its collections in four different locations in South Korea: Gwacheon, Deoksugung, Seoul, and Cheongju. The physical locations themselves are very beautiful, but we’re sure you can appreciate the 4 exhibits and 6 virtual museum views you can find online, too.
Hopefully, we convinced you there’s much to experience from the comfort of your own home, if you’re an art lover. This list is an attempt to inspire you to go browse and find the online galleries and exhibitions which can lift your spirits!
