Google Art Project: A Street View for Musuems

Take a virtual walk around some of the most beautiful galleries in the world.

With Google Street View and Google Earth, we’ve been able to see parts of the world and landmarks we may never even get to visit. However, Google’s satellite and street car photos can only show us so much. For instance, appreciating some fine art actually requires a trip to a real museum, right?

Up until today, it did. Now, Google and its goofy Street View tricycles have got you covered. Through unique partnerships with 17 museums from around the world, Google Art Project offers a collection of high-resolution images of art works from the likes of Botticelli, Ivanov and Hans Holbein. You can also explore the museums, add comments to paintings, listen to audio tours, search for specific paintings, see more by a specific artist, and ‘create your own collection’ by saving specific views of your favourite works. This “collection” can then be shared with friends.

The project has been in the works for 18 months and involves Altes Nationalgalerie, The Freer Gallery of Art Smithsonian, National Gallery (London), The Frick Collection, Gemäldegalerie, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Museo Reina Sofia, Museo Thyseen - Bornemisza, Museum Kampa, Palace of Versailles, Rijksmuseum, The State Hermitage Museum, State Tretyakov Gallery, Tate, Uffizi and Van Gogh Museum.

Check the videos below for more on the Art project.