Virtual Museum Tours for Art Fans

Are you an art fan?  If you feel deprived because you are currently unable to travel to see the collections of the finest museums in the world, don’t  worry. Several of the best art museums offer virtual tours of their collections. Here are six of our favorites:

Metropolitan Museum of Art

How could I not list the Metropolitan Museum? I was born and raised in NYC and one of my favorite books from childhood (“From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler”) was set there. The Met offers one of the best and largest collections of art in the world. It is known for its Ancient Greek, Egyptian and Roman art. It also offers one of the world’s best collections of Impressionist paintings. Take their virtual tour here: https://www.youvisit.com/tour/themet

Seurat’s Sunday on La Grande Jatte at the Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Chicago

My husband and I met in Chicago, and this wonderful museum remains a favorite. They are especially known for their Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collections.  Check out Georges Seurat’s  “Sunday on La Grande Jatte” and  Monet’s Stack of Wheat series of paintings. Other works to see include Chagall’s “The American Window”, and Grant Wood’s “American Gothic”. For virtual tour options go here: https://www.artic.edu/visit-us-virtually

British Museum, London

Seeing the highlights of this museum virtually gives you a great overview of the breadth and depth of its enormous collection. Some of the many highlights include the famous Rosetta Stone, the Egyptian mummies, and the Enlightenment Gallery. The British Museum offers 11 different ways to tour their museum from home including a virtual tour in partnership with Google. Check out the options here: https://blog.britishmuseum.org/how-to-explore-the-british-museum-from-home/

Musee D’Orsay, Paris

While some prefer the Louvre (which you can also tour virtually), I prefer the Musee D’Orsay. Perhaps that is because I studied and love the Impressionists and they have the world’s best collection of their paintings.  Maybe it’s the fact that the museum has an unusual and striking interior as a former train station. Whatever it is, there’s something special about this museum. Their collection is varied and includes sculptural and graphic arts works as well as painting. Their Impressionist painting include he ballet influenced work of Degas which incidentally is pronounced “De” and not “Day ga” You can tour it virtually here: https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris

Vatican Museum, Vatican City

Unfortunately the sexy Swiss Vatican guards are not featured, but the Vatican Museum offers several virtual tours.  They include the “Sistine Chapel” and other religious masterpieces such as Raphael’s Transfiguration as well as the impressive Tapestries Gallery. To see options, go here: http://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/tour-virtuali-elenco.html

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

You will have to supply your own space-cakes, but Amsterdam’s  Van Gogh Museum has a wonderful collection of this premier Dutch painter’s works Some of the many important works in their collection include “Sunflowers”, “Almond Blossoms”, and his self portraits. For virtual access click here: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/explore-the-collectione.

We hope you enjoy these museum virtual tours and contact us to help you plan your in person visits in the future.

Purple Light Vacations provides you with the knowledge, insight and personalized service to make your vacation all you want it to be at no additional cost. We help you travel in the know wherever you go. To get started, fill out this quick form or call 619.324.1444 (ext. 3).