Art lovers can now explore work from around the globe from the comfort of their home, office or anywhere they have their smartphone. Google’s Cultural Institute rolled out a new app on Tuesday featuring curated artwork from 70 countries.
“Our new tools will help you discover works and artifacts, allowing you to immerse yourself in cultural experiences across art, history and wonders of the world—from more than a thousand museums across 70 countries,” wrote Duncan Osborn, product manager of Google Cultural Institute, in a blog post.
The Google Arts & Culture app, essentially a database of artwork from thousands of museums, has a “Daily Digest” section that contains curated content. It also has a search box on the top allowing for filtering by color, medium or art style.
Some interesting features offered include the option to go on a virtual, 360-degree museum tour, or to view an artist’s entire body of work to see how their style evolves with time. VR enthusiasts can utilize the virtual reality tours of landmarks including the Teatro Degollado in Mexico or the Austrian National Library, as the app is Cardboard-ready.
The app also features a tool called the Art Recognizer, which will allow users to point their camera to a painting to access detailed information about the piece. While this feature will roll out to other museums in the world, it is currently only available at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
“Google Arts & Culture features content from over 1000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online,” says the official website.
While users technically don’t need the app to explore -- they can alternatively go to the new online Arts & Culture page -- having the application can offer a better user experience. While using the web version of the app, the site will suggest downloading the app for the best experience.
The Google Arts & Culture app is available for Android and iOS for free.
