Google art project

Last week’s launch of the Google Art Project offers an alternative way to view some of the world’s most famous artworks, in greater detail and with a better view than you would often achieve when viewing these works in person.

The Google Art Project allows you to virtually visit 17 of the world’s top galleries and museums and view 7,000 megapixel versions of 1061 artworks. Galleries and museums include The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, The National Gallery in London, The Palace of Versailles in France, The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg and The Uffizi Gallery in Florence. This video shows some of the preparation that went into the project.
Two videos that tell you more about the project can be found here .


Of course, no matter how impressive, technology can never replace the experience of viewing a work in the flesh and some commentators wonder what sort of implications this kind of project will have on people’s need to visit galleries or museums in future. These articles feature some interesting views on the project:

1. The Work of Art in the Age of Google
2. Behind The Scenes At The Google Art Project
3. The Problem With Google’s Art Project
4. Google Art Project: the 7 billion pixel masterpieces (slideshow)