Stuck at home and getting tired of watching Netflix? Why not try to go on a virtual tour to see some of the world’s greatest art museums right from your couch? As social distancing has become the norm and reality for many, this is a great way to be able to see some of the best art in the world, without having to actually travel there.
Many of the world’s great art museums and galleries offer virtual tours of their museum or part of the museum. This is a great way to be able to see many of the world’s finest art museums right from the comfort of your home.
Here are some of our favorite free virtual tours of some of the world’s greatest art museums.
Many of these virtual tours are compliments of Google Arts & Culture. On the Googles Arts & Culture site, you can find some amazing virtual tours. You can find out more about these free virtual tours that are on the Google Arts & Culture site by clicking here.
The Louvre – Paris, France
The Louvre is the world’s largest art museum. It is also a historical monument in Paris, France. There are so many amazing collections throughout its approximately 72, 500 square meters or the 782,000 square feet. It is one of the most visited art museums in the world.
The halls of this museum have had many of the world’s greatest artists roaming its halls. That is just one reason why visiting the Lourve is such a great and amazing experience But during their most popular months if can shoulder to shoulder groups of people trying to all see the same thing. But now you can skip the crowds and visit the Lourve exhibitions virtually.
To find out more about how to virtually visit the Louvre from your own home, you can click here.
J. Paul Getty Museum – Los Angeles, California, USA
If you have ever driven north on the 405 from the Los Angeles Airport, you will find perched on the side of a hill an amazing structure and building that is the J. Paul Getty Museum.
The J. Paul Getty Museum is home to a variety of artwork, including European decorative arts, paintings, manuscripts, drawings, and sculptures. The museum boasts of having Greek, Etruscan and Roman art from the Neolithic era to the Late Antiquity. There is also an amazing collection of photographs from the 20th and 21st Centuries. This museum really has something for everyone.
You can take a virtual tour of the J. Paul Getty Museum by clicking here
The Sistine Chapel – Vatican City, Italy.
Though technically, not a museum, we love this virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel. No need to travel to Italy to see this amazing work by the great Michelangelo. Like many sites like this in Europe when you actually go to Italy to see the chapel if can be crowded with other visitors.
You can now tour the famous Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Italy from your home. You can see the renowned ceilings and “The Last Judgement” by the Renaissance-era painter Michelangelo.
You can take a tour from your home of the The Sistine Chapel by clicking here.
The Guggenheim Museum – New York City, USA
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a museum located in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously expanding collection and an array of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, Early Modern and contemporary art. They also have a lot of special exhibitions throughout the year.
The building is a work of art itself as it was designed by the iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Over the last eight decades, the museum collections have continued to grow which make it one of the top art museums in the world. The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum has a great virtual tour of their entire contemporary art collection.
You can check out The Guggenheim Museum virtual tour by clicking here.
The Van Gogh Museum – Amsterdam, Holland
The Van Gogh Museum has the largest Van Gogh Collections in the world, with over 600 artworks and 700 letters. This museum is in Amsterdam. If you are not able to travel there you can view their virtual guided tours.
If you are a Van Gogh fan, like I am, this museum is a real treat in that it has the most substantial collection of Van Gogh artwork. It is a museum that is so popular that it receives more visitors per day than any other museum in Amsterdam, Holland. You can forgo the crowds and take a virtual tour of the museum right from your living room.
To take a tour of the Van Gogh Museum you can click here.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – New York City, USA
The Metropolitan Museum of Art or MET as it is known is one of the largest art museums in the world. During normal times, the MET will receive millions of visitors each day, This makes it one of the most visited art museums in the entire world.
The MET has over two million work of art divided up into 17 curatorial departments. If you are an art lover this museum has everything you can imagine.
There is art from classical antiquity and ancient Egypt. There are paintings and sculpture from most of the European masters. They have an extensive collection of American and modern art.
The MET also has a lot of African, Asian, Oceania, Byzantine and Islamic art. Including a lot of antique weapons and armor from around the world. If you are looking for inspiration, this museum is an art lovers dream.
Now from the comfort of your own home, you can enjoy a virtual tour of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art. You can find out more about the MET Virtual Tour by clicking here.
The Uffizi Gallery – Florence, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery is located in Florence, Italy. It is located in a magnificent building that was constructed between 1560 to 1580. It is a treat to just be able to go down the halls of the magnificent old building.
The virtual tour of the building will show you the art from the middle ages to the Modern period. You can view artworks of the art masters from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, and Raphael.
Thanks to the Medici family who intermediately ruled Florence and parts of Tuscany from 1434 to 1737 the museum has some great ancient statues and busts from Roman duplicates that were never found.
You can sit back and take the virtual tour of the Uffizi Gallery by clicking here.
The Sao Paulo Museum of Art – Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Sao Paulo Museum of Art, Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo or also known as MASP is another world-class museum. The MASP is a landmark museum that was designed by Linda Bo Bardi. The museum is known for its important work in museology and art education in Brazil.
The museum is internationally recognized for its collection of European art. But this museum also has an impressive array of Brazilian, African and Asian Art. They have over 8,000 pieces and the largest art library in Brazil.
You can take a virtual tour of The Sao Paulo Museum of Art by clicking here.
The Musee d’Orsay – Paris, France
The Musee d’Orsay is a museum in Paris, France. It is situated on the banks of the Seine River in Paris. It is in the house of the former Gare d’ Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station that was built between 1898 and 1900. This is now one of the largest art museums in Europe.
The museum has mainly French art dating between 1848 and 1914. It has paintings, sculptures, furniture, and photography. This museum has the largest collection of impressionist and post-impressionist art. Their art collections include Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoirs, Cezanne, Seurat, Sisley, Gauguin, and Van Gogh.
Now you can visit The Musee d’Orsay virtually. Take their virtual tour by clicking here.
The National Portrait Gallery – London
The National Portrait Gallery is at St Martin’s Place just off Trafalgar Square in London, England. This gallery houses all the important portraits of important and famous British people throughout history.
If you are a fan of the Bronte sisters you can find the portraits of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne in a painting done by their brother Patrick Bronte. There even portraits believed to be of William Shakespeare. If you love British history and love portraits this is a great museum to explore.
You can take the virtual tour of The National Portrait Gallery by clicking here.
The Frick Art Museum, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The Frick Art Museum in part of The Frick Pittsburgh complex which is a cluster of museums and historical buildings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the former home of Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), an industrialist and art collector.
If you like European paintings and sculptures from the 1800s you will love the Frick Art Museum. This collection includes work by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Apollonio Di Giovanni, Jan van Os, Carle Van Loo, Maurice Quentin de la Tour, Arthur Devis, Jean-Louis de Marne, and Jan Steen.
As an extra bonus if love old cars and carriages you can also take a virtual tour of their old car collection.
To take a virtual tour of the Frick Museum and the Frick homes and gardens you can find out more by clicking here.
As an artist and art lover, it really is a treat to be able to visit an art museum to be inspired by all the great art masters. But now you can do all this from the couch of your own home. If you are not able to personally travel to be inspired by these great art museums then using technology to take these virtual tours is the next best thing.
Related Questions
Who is Georgia O’Keeffe, The Mother of American Modernism Painting?
Georgia O’Keeffe was from Wisconsin, but she became one of America’s most iconic painters. She received some college education but had to leave college due to her father’s untimely bankruptcy. It was when she was in school in New York that she met her future husband, the photographer and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz. She is most well known for her many American western subject matters and oversized flowers that she painted. She has a home and studio in the US state of New Mexico. She is one of the great arts that also has a museum dedicated to her artwork. You can visit her home in New Mexico and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Santa Fe, New Mexico
To find out more about Georgia O’Keeffe you can read our blog entitled Georgia O’Keeffe, The Mother of American Modernism Painting by clicking here,
What is the American Gothic Painting by Grant Wood?
Grant Wood the midwestern United States from the state of Iowa. His painting American Gothic has a Carpenter Gothic Style house with a stoic man with a pitchfork and women staring off to the side outside the house. The man is his dentist and the woman is his sister. The painting received a 3rd place finish for an art competition at the Art Institute Chicago. The painting has a lot of ambiguity associated with it, which has lead people to continue speculate about its true meaning.
You can find out more about the American Gothic painting by Grant Wood by reading our blog 17 Facts About the American Gothic Painting by Grant Wood (1930) by clicking here.
