Museums and other cultural institutions have now opened their doors to virtual visitors, offering them online access to the treasures they hold, now that the new coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis is keeping people at home.
The museums virtually opening their doors include the Louvre, London National Gallery, Fine Arts museums in Brussels and the Royal Museum in Amsterdam.
In the Belgian capital, institutions were invited by Brussels Museums to take part in its #MuseumAtHome campaign and share their works on the web. The Royal Fine Arts Museums (Magritte, Fin-de-Siècle, Old Masters, Modern, Meunier and Wiertz museums) responded favourably, and will offer virtual nighttime and backstage visits, along with children’s workshops.
On Thursday, the Horta Museum will launch "hort@home" on social media. On Mondays and Thursdays at 6:00 PM, it will post content such as 360-degree views of some pieces. Every other Monday, at 2:00 PM, there will be a tutorial for children, and new publications have been announced for the weekend.
For its part, Ixelles Museum has been active on social media, using its works to remind patrons of the safety measures in force. The Brussels Centre for Contemporary Art and the Natural Science Museum have urged patrons to check them out on the web. In Liège, the Curtius Museum, for example, posted an educational file and colouring games for children.
International institutions have also tapped into the #MuseumFromHome campaign. In France, the Louvre offers, among other things, a virtual tour of the “#Figure d’artiste” exposition as well as focus sessions, particularly on the Joconde. It has also created the "#LouvreChezVous" banner. The Centre Pompidou, too, has not forgotten its visitors and offers online visits to the Christo Exposition.
In the Netherlands, the Amsterdam Royal Museum allows online visits to its collection, while in London, the National Gallery of Art opens one of its works per day, virtually.
The MoMA in New York, which is closed because of the pandemic, remains active on social media, like the Guggenheim in Bilbao.
The Brussels Times
