Google Art Project: Virtual Museum Trips to Art Museums around the World

Would you like to explore art from around the world… from your kitchen table? How about exploring the most famous museums and collections of art on the planet, without traveling thousands of miles!? If you are interested in art, and haven’t heard about the Google Art Project, prepared to be blown away. 

The amazing Google Art Project allows internet users to select a museum from the 150 collections from 40 countries (so far!) on the homepage. Next, you can  either choose to ‘Explore the museum’ (which allows you to use your mouse to “walk” through the galleries to experience the lay-out in 360 degrees), or ‘View Artwork’” (in such incredible close-up detail the paint seems to be flaking off your computer screen). (from googleartproject.com). I first learned of this brilliant project from a TED talk by the project developer and art-lover Amit Sood: take 5 minutes to be awed and inspired:

Imagine the possibilities with this magnificent resource… The lessons, projects, you could do with your kids. I want to be in my old classroom with the overhead projector, projecting an enormous Aztec Calendar onto the screen (from the Museo de Antropologia in Mexico City), and zooming in to see the individual grains in the stone, or walking through. Students can create their own “galleries,” or browse galleries that have been featured by other users, sometimes within certain themes such as “Pre-Columbian.”

Here are my favorites- but honestly I need more time to explore more!:)

The Uffizi- Florence, Italy
Museo del Oro- Bogota, Colombia
Museo Frida Kahlo- Mexico City
Rijksmuseum- Amsterdam
Musee D’Orsay- Paris
Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar
State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg
South African National Gallery

Which galleries have you enjoyed? (in real life or here on the google art project!)

Here is the “teaser” video of the project: