Armchair travelers rejoice! More and more museums are putting not only their collections online, but even actual exhibitions. Online collections and online exhibitions have some points in common, but also some crucial differences. Both can allow the visitor to zoom in on a high-resolution photo of an object for a closer look. And both resources offer at least some information about the objects. But an online exhibition does more. It highlights a few objects in the context of a certain theme, and thus offers a more cohesive look into a moment in history through the objects. Placing the objects into a frame like this – associating them with other objects and describing them in focused texts – is a great way to tell a compelling story. What is more, online exhibitions can allow the visitor to move through a virtual space in line with their own interests. And sometimes they connect with exhibitions in the physical world – a chance to see some of the objects in person.
Here are some fabulous online exhibitions – just a click away!
Bauhaus: Building the New Artist – The Getty Research Institute https://www.getty.edu/research/exhibitions_events/exhibitions/bauhaus/new_artist/
Rembrandt in Southern California – Hammer Museum, The J. Paul Getty Museum, LACMA, Norton Simon Museum, Timken Museum of Art https://rembrandtinsocal.org/virtual-exhibition/
Vermeer, Kawakubo, Coco Chanel and 24 more exhibitions by The Met Museum and Google Arts & Culture https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art
Virtual tour of the permanent collection – Bode-Museum http://bode360.smb.museum
O Sentimental Machine – Liebighaus Skulpturensammlung https://kentridge.liebieghaus.de/en/william-kentridge-o-sentimental-machine