World-class art toured at home

Posted by Karen Myers on March 18, 2020

The Birth of Venus is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli. The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

As people band together to reduce the spread of this virus, many of us are spending a lot more time at home. But staying home can be an opportunity for a different way to explore the world. With the internet at our fingertips, a treasure-trove is waiting.

Delaware Art Museum's online collection includes their extensive pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood collection, American Illustration and their Copeland Sculpture Garden, to name a few. The Philadelphia Museum of Art features a number of collections, including Modern Art, Cubism and Frida Kahlo.

Google Arts & Culture has a wealth of museums around the world, like the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The Uffizi is home to hundreds of works of art collected by the de’ Medici family. Paintings and sculptures can be viewed online using google street view, to get the feel of walking through the 45 rooms. Alternatively, the collection can be viewed one piece at a time with the curator’s notes. Paintings by masters like Botticelli, Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael highlight the collection.

Lovers of Impressionist Paintings can indulge their passion at Amsterdam’s The Van Gogh Museum or the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Closer to home, the MoMa’s collection features Claude Monet’s Water Lilies and Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night as well contemporary art.

With more than 1,000 destinations available, Google Arts & Culture has a museum experience for almost anyone. Museums like the Anne Frank House have an online exhibition to enhance the reading experience.

Locally, The Brandywine River Museum of Art is posting pop up gallery talks on Facebook and Instagram. The museum’s Communication Specialist Nicole Kindbeiter said, “We all could use some art, inspiration and joy right now.”

About Karen Myers

Karen Myers lives in Pocopson Township and has written for several local publications. A strong supporter of our community, Karen has served on several non-profit boards, such as Pocopson Elementary PTO, The United Way of Southern Chester County, Chester County Art Association and Tick Tock Early Learning Center. She received her M.B.A. from the University of Delaware and worked in marketing and operations with a focus on banking.