By Gloria Chrisanty
From National Palace Museum -- Across the Silk Road exhibition
Curiosity is part of the human condition and thus the discovery and display of what is learned about the world and ourselves is an inevitable part of history; it is an important part in the evolution of the human race. Humans and technology have evolved greatly since then, and so have our museums. What we identify as a museum or a gallery today has different meanings from what they were in the past and certainly the future. It is impossible for museums to not evolve because it is in direct correlation to human progress. So what does the museum of the future look like? It’s hard to predict entirely, but in light of the pandemic that has globally affected humans, the answer to the seemingly impossible question has emerged from hiding: virtual museums. COVID-19 has made its mark on human history as the pandemic that halted our everyday lives. With the nationwide in-house restriction and many businesses on lockdown, we were forced to turn to activities that were accessible from home and thus the increase in efforts to extrapolate the online museum experience.
With many countries still in lockdown and many art museums still in hiatus, I’m sure your wanderlust is growing stronger than ever. Thankfully, we no longer have to wait for COVID-19 to pass to visit some of the world’s greatest art museums. I’m here to show you some of the best virtual museums you can visit from the comfort of your home.
ART BUSAN & design online (ends in 6 days)
The Frick Collection New York City, NY
The British Museum - Museum of the World London, UK
Hauser & Wirth Los Angeles, CA
Courtauld Institute of Art London, UK
House of Fine Art Los Angeles, CA
Vatican Museums Vatican City
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands
Benaki Museum Athens, Greece
The Dali Theater-Museum Figueres, Spain
Hermitage Museum St. Petersburg, Russia
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) Los Angeles, CA
Musée du Louvre Paris, France
National Museum of China Dongcheng, China
National Museum of Korea Seoul, South Korea
National Palace Museum Taipei, Taiwan
Museu Picasso Barcelona, Spain
… Plus thousands of others thanks to Google Arts and Culture!
Though the experience of scrolling or clicking through a virtual tour might not be the same as basking in the art and the space in real life, virtual museums allow more than just something to do. Virtual museums increase accessibility for people to see different works from all over the world and digitize their collection so future generations can continue to learn about various works even if they’re physical form is destroyed or lost. Additionally, with the progression of technology, the physicality of life and information might not be as important in the future. The response of museums going virtual due to COVID-19 proves that there is a necessity for the presence of museums in everyday life even if it is only accessible online. Hopefully, it won’t take a permanent catastrophic event to recognize the importance of museums to survive, so that the knowledge won’t be forgotten and human progress halted.
HOFA Virtual Tour -- GOD IS A WOMAN BY DARIAN MEDEROS
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