35 Museums to Visit Without Leaving Home

by Paula Wu

Don’t get too upset because of the fact that the coronavirus quarantine has radically changed your bohemian lifestyle. You can still visit your favorite or desired museums, but without endangering your life or the lives of people around you.

The modern world is becoming more digital, and so is the world of culture. The world’s greatest museums have digitized their collections and are inviting visitors for 360-degree overviews, broadcasts of their main exhibitions, and thematic conferences. Most of them are available at Google Arts & Culture.

For our part, the Internet Protocol team has prepared a detailed guide to the museums of the world that you can visit without leaving your home.

The United States

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

The museum contains more than 200,000 exhibits, including paintings by Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Pablo Picasso, and other eminent painters.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York

One of the most visited museums of contemporary art in the world, which contains 1,700 works by more than 625 artists of the world.

The National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

The museum features one of the best collections of American and European masters in the world.

Whitney Museum of American Art, New York

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Even in uncertain times, there are no limits to the creative spirit. It’s what makes us human. So while our physical Museum is temporarily closed to the public, know that the spirit of the Whitney is open to all—and we're committed to connecting you to inspiration, knowledge, and a sense of community through art. We've created a special resource for you to access all of our digital resources from your couch in one handy place. Visit whitney.org/whitney-from-home, or tap the link in our profile, to explore the collection and exhibitions, watch artist talks, read or listen to audio guides, enjoy our educational resources for learners of all ages, and much more. #WhitneyFromHome — #RoyLichtenstein (1923-1997), Red Lamps, 1990, from the series Interior. Woodcut, screenprint, lithograph, colored pencil and fiber-tipped pen on board: sheet, 57 3/8 × 78 13/16 in. (145.7 × 200.2 cm); image, 51 5/16 × 72 7/8 in. (130.3 × 185.1 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; The Roy Lichtenstein Study Collection, gift of the Roy Lichtenstein Foundation 2019.191. © Estate of Roy Lichtenstein, all rights reserved

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More than 23,000 works of artists of the 20th and 21st centuries are available online.

Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago

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After decades as a representational painter, in her seventies Alma Thomas turned to abstraction, creating shimmering, mosaic-like fields of color with rhythmic dabs of paint. "Color is life," she once proclaimed, "and light is the mother of color." . "Starry Night and the Astronauts" evokes the open expanse and celestial patterns of a night sky, but despite its narrative title, the work could also be read as an aerial view of a watery surface, playing with our sense of immersion within an otherwise flat picture plane. . The painting was created in 1972, when the artist was seventy-seven. In the same year, she became the first African American woman to receive a solo exhibition at a major art museum, the @whitneymuseum in New York City. . See "Starry Night and the Astronauts" by Alma Thomas on view in the Modern Wing.

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This one is 2 in 1: a higher education institution and an art museum, which is famous for its extensive collection of impressionists and American art.

The Frick Collection, New York

A private collection of old West European paintings. Here are the works of Bruegel the Elder, Titian, El Greco, Rembrandt, and Velazquez.

National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C.

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"Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to fix the world right now. The museum is now nearly two weeks into an unprecedented closure—public health requires that museums, along with performance halls, movie theaters, and sports arenas join together to close our doors and slow the spread of coronavirus. During this unsettling period of isolation, though, we need to connect with one another more than ever, and I believe that the arts can provide that bridge. . In that spirit, I wanted to reach out to say that NMWA is here for you. We hope that in the days ahead, the museum and its art will become welcome resources as we face the impact of this coronavirus. . We value your participation and appreciate your comments and opinions, so please continue to share with us on social media. Connection is more important than ever." . —Susan Fisher Sterling, Director of the National Museum of Women in the Arts . 💡: #YaelBartana, "What if Women Ruled the World," 2016

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The first and only museum in the world to exhibit works of art created exclusively by women.

National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.

Here are samples of plants, animals, fossils, and minerals along with archaeological and cultural artifacts.

White House, Washington, D.C.

An online tour offers to get acquainted with the interiors of the official residence of the President of the United States.

National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton

One of the most interesting, oldest, and largest aerospace museums in the world.

France

Louvre, Paris

You can take an online walk through some galleries of the palace-museum.

Palace of Versailles, Versailles

A synonym for the luxury industry, a monument of French architecture, and simply a grandiose project.

Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

The most famous construction of Gothic architecture.

The United Kingdom

British Museum, London

The museum contains about 8 million objects, the most interesting of which can be viewed online.

Tate Britain, London

The museum with the largest collection of British art, including Millais' masterpiece Ophelia.

Stonehenge, Wiltshire

A mysterious archaeological site that you can “touch” using the Internet.

Italy

Uffizi Gallery, Florence

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#iorestoacasa e #ioleggoacasa. Lo dice anche Maria Adelaide, la figlia di Luigi XV re di Francia, ritratta nel 1753 non in posa ufficiale ma mentre legge rilassata sul suo divano. In barba alle etichette di corte, questo ritratto ha tutta la potenza di uno scatto fotografico dei giorni nostri. Siamo nel pieno Illuminismo e il pittore, convinto che la battaglia contro l’oscurantismo vada condotta in egual misura da entrambi i sessi, dichiara apertamente il suo femminismo ante-litteram. Gli ornamenti di Adelaide, rappresentati con realismo, sono scelti dalla donna con profonda consapevolezza. Tutto è luce nella sua parure: le perle discrete e opalescenti, gli zaffiri a goccia del colore blu chiaro delle gemme di Ceylon, il diamante tagliato a rosa coroné. Raffinatissimo il gusto delle vesti di provenienza esotica ma indossati con un’attitudine occidentale. Lo racconta la mise alla turca della dama, non solo una scelta glamour, ma l’ espediente per una maggior libertà di movimenti e uno stile di vita lontano dai rigidi paludamenti di corte. Jean-Étienne Liotard, Maria Adelaide #Uffizi • E N G 🌍 #istayathome and read on the sofa! This is Marie Adélaïde, daughter of Louis XV, king of France, in an unofficial portrait while reading on a sofa(1753). This looks like a modern pic, not the portrait of a princess of the 18thcentury! We are in the Enlightenment and the artist depicts Adélaïde as a modern woman, reading, posing in an unconventional way, and dressing according to her taste, “à la turque”, an elegant but comfortable oriental trend. This portrait shines in light from the colours of the dresses to the precious stones: the opalescent pearls, the blue sapphires and the coroné rose cut diamond. Jean-Étienne Liotard, Maria Adelaide, 1753.

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Enjoy The Birth of Venus by Botticelli and a lot more in a virtual walk through one of the oldest museums in Europe.

Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

In the online space, you can view the Chapel in detail, without being pushed by other tourists in front if the frescoes of Michelangelo, Botticelli and Perugino.

Capitoline Museums, Rome

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The portrait of #Commodus 💎 in the figure of #Hercules is a marble bust preserved at the Capitoline Museums in Rome. It traditionally comes from the imperial praedia on the Esquiline and is both a portrait and an effigy of a precise political program. The somatic traits of the emperor are quite realistic and comparable with coins dating back to 190 AD. The eyes are a little protruding and half-closed, the elongated face, the sharp nose, the tumid mouth, the thick mustache, the hair and the beard treated like a single mass that is deeply engraved by the drill, with very bright chiaroscuro effects. The Herculean attributes are the leonine skin, with the mouth on the head and the legs knotted on the chest, the club in the right hand resting on the shoulder, the knobs of the Hesperides in the left hand. The lion's skin on the head creates a dark background of shadow that frames and enhances the head. 🇮🇹Il ritratto di Commodo in figura d'Ercole è un busto marmoreo conservato ai Musei Capitolini a Roma. Proviene tradizionalmente dai praedia imperiali sull'Esquilino ed è contemporaneamente sia un ritratto, sia l'effigie di un preciso programma politico. I tratti somatici dell'imperatore sono abbastanza realistici e confrontabili con le monete databili attorno al 190 d.C. Gli occhi sono un po' sporgenti e socchiusi, il volto allungato, il naso affilato, la bocca tumida, i baffi fitti, la capigliatura e la barba trattati come una massa unica che è profondamente incisa dal trapano, con effetti di chiaroscuro molto vivaci. Gli attributi erculei sono la pelle leonina, con la bocca sulla testa e le zampe annodate sul petto, la clava nella mano destra poggiata sulla spalla, i pomi delle Esperidi nella mano sinistra. La pelle di leone sulla testa crea un fondo scuro d'ombra che incornicia ed esalta la testa. #MuseiCapitolini #CapolavoriCapitolini #Illustration #ItalianArt #MuseiItaliani #Portrait #BeniCulturali30 #Beautiful #Artist #Masterpiece #Italia #Followme #Architecture #Rome #Arte #Cultura #Museum #Italy #Like4like #Like #Follow #AncientRome #Roma #Culture #Painting #Sculpture

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A magnificent collection of sculptures, including the symbol of Rome, the Capitoline Wolf.

Austria

Museum of Art History, Vienna

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Happy Valentine’s Day 🌺 Jan van Huysum was regarded as a phoenix of flower painting by his contemporaries. With an immense lustre of colours, he carefully composes an extraordinary beautiful bouquet of flowers. Also, most tiny and fragile creatures such as the delicate butterflies and ants reflect the elegance and grace of earthly things. The brilliantly painted blossoms seem to compete with nature’s creation. And they even surpass it, because they are immortalized through the use of artistic skill: Van Huysum’s flowers have been blossoming for about 300 years now. 😊 Jan van Huysum, Bouquet of Flowers and a Column, 1st half of the 18th century, Oil on walnut, 80x60cm. Detail. #kunsthistorischesmuseum #vienna

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Features the paintings of Raphael, Brueghel, Caravaggio, Rubens, and other brilliant artists.

Belvedere, Vienna

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Begleitet uns heute ab 15.00 Uhr via Stream bei einer Führung durchs Obere Belvedere! Markus Hübl stellt Ferdinand Georg Waldmüllers Werk „Der Abschied der Patin“ vor. Habt ihr einen Stream verpasst? Alle bisherigen Video-Einblicke in die Werke unserer Sammlung findet ihr auf unserer Website. 👉Link in Bio. . Come on a guided tour through the Upper Belvedere with us via webcast! We start at 3 pm. Markus Hübl will tell us about Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller's „The departure of the godmother“. The tour will be held in German language. Have you missed out on a webcast? You can find all our videos featuring works of art from our collection on our website. 👉Link in bio. . Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller, Der Abschied der Patin (The departure of the godmother), 1859, Belvedere, Wien . #belvederemuseum #belvederecollection #museum #vienna #wien #exhibition #artlovers #arthistory #wienliebe #DigAMus #DigKult #kulturtrotzcorona #coronavirus #flattenthecurve

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Known for the Kiss by Gustav Klimt and the scandal surrounding the Golden Adele painting.

The Netherlands

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

The museum is dedicated to the work of the most marginal and to this day popular genius of painting, as well as the works of his contemporaries.

Mauritshuis, The Hague

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The tension is tangible in this brothel scene by Frans van Mieris the Elder. Not just because of the barmaid with a low-cut dress who refills the glass of a soldier. He gives her a questioning look while pulling her closer by her dress with his right hand.  Another indication of the erotic tension: in the upper right corner we see bedsheets hanging over the balustrade. And last but not least: the dogs are making love on the background. Fun fact: In Victorian England the dogs were considered too explicit. The male dog was overpainted and remained hidden until 1949, when it came to light during a restoration. The invisible, refined brushwork is typical of Van Mieris’s work. His amazing technique is displayed well in the barmaid’s clothing and the man’s cuirass. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the Leiden school of ‘fine painting’. Brothel Scene, Frans van Mieris the Elder, c. 1658 – 1659 #fransvanmieris #mauritshuis #thehague #denhaag

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Features works of Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Frans Hals and others. A rich collection of the “Golden Age”.

Spain

Dalí Theatre and Museum, Figueres

An incredible opportunity to get acquainted with the most diverse collection of works by the famous surrealist artist.

Germany

Old National Gallery, Berlin

You get an opportunity to get acquainted with the art of the 19th century from the collection of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

Finland

Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki

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🇬🇧 Did you know this about Natalia Goncharova? 🇫🇮 Tiesitkö tämän Natalia Goncharovasta?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🇬🇧 A THEATRE REFORMER ⁣🎭 In 1914, Natalia Goncharova rose to international fame as a set and costume designer for Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. Later, she was responsible for the set and costume design for the composer Igor Stravinsky’s ballets The Firebird and The Wedding. Goncharova’s work in the theatre was strongly influenced by Russian folk art. The artist continued to work in the theatre throughout her career. The Ateneum exhibition features costumes and sketches of set designs by Goncharova, and recordings of ballet performances.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 👉 Natalia Goncharova's exhibition at the Ateneum from 27 February to 17 May 2020.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🇫🇮 TEATTERIN UUDISTAJA ⁣⁣🎭 Vuonna 1914 Natalia Goncharova nousi kansainväliseen kuuluisuuteen Sergei Djagilevin Venäläisen baletin lavastajana ja puvustajana. Myöhemmin hän vastasi myös säveltäjä Igor Stravinskin balettien Tulilintu ja Häät lavastuksesta ja puvustuksesta. Goncharovan työ teatterin parissa sai vahvoja vaikutteita venäläisestä kansantaiteesta. Taiteilija jatkoi työskentelyä teatterin parissa koko uransa ajan. Ateneumin näyttelyssä voi tutustua hänen suunnittelemiinsa pukuihin ja lavastusluonnoksiin sekä balettitaltiointeihin näytöksistä.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 👉 Natalia Goncharovan näyttely Ateneumissa 27.2.–17.5.2020.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ #ateneum #artmuseum #nataliagoncharova #goncharova #avantgarde⁣⁣⁣ #helsinki #finland ⁣#russianart #femaleartist #russianavantgarde #modernart #theatre #theatredesign #arttrip #artexploration #travelforart #arttour ⁣⁣

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The main art museum in Finland with an incredible collection of paintings, sculptures, graphics, and drawings.

Greece

Acropolis Museum, Athens

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#ΜένουμεΣπίτι παρέα με τα εκθέματα του Μουσείου Ακρόπολης Αρχαίο αντίγραφο του «Ερμή Προπυλαίου», της ερμαϊκής στήλης που είχε φιλοτεχνήσει ο γλύπτης Αλκαμένης. Την είχαν τοποθετήσει στα Προπύλαια, καθώς πίστευαν ότι οι στήλες με το κεφάλι του Ερμή προστάτευαν τις εισόδους ιερών και σπιτιών από κάθε κακό. 100 - 1 π.Χ. Πρώτος όροφος, δυτικά (Ακρ. 2281α) #StayHome with the exhibits of the Acropolis Museum Ancient copy of “Hermes Propylaios”, part of a hermaic stele (herm) crafted by the sculptor Alkamenes. It once stood beside the Propylaia, in the belief that such stelai bearing the head of Hermes protected the entrances of shrines and houses from every evil. 100 - 1 BC. First floor, west (Acr. 2281a) #theacropolismuseum #acropolismuseum #acropolis #instagreece #menoumespiti #coronavirus #stayhealthy

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Over 3,000 famous artifacts of the Acropolis of Athens, the most significant sanctuary of the ancient city.

Australia

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney

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Take a moment to defocus and breathe out with the ripples. For #WomensHistoryMonth, we’re celebrating the work of extraordinary female artists in our collection, like Australian painter Lesley Dumbrell. Dumbrell was highly engaged with the women’s art movement and a founding member of the Women’s Art Register in Australia. Known for her geometric abstraction, she has a sophisticated understanding of the use of colour. Pictured here is Dumbrell's ‘Solstice’ 1974, which was acquired by the Gallery in 2019. The work comprises vertical blue lines overlaid with a repeated pattern of orange, pink, and green triangles, which combine to give an impression of movement and produces a hypnotic effect #MuseumFromHome #5WomenArtists Image: Lesley Dumbrell 'Solstice' 1974, AGNSW, Patrick White Bequest Fund 2019 © Lesley Dumbrell

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The largest art gallery in Sydney and one of the largest in Australia.

New Zealand

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington

Here you can find everything you need to know about the nature, traditions, and life of New Zealand.

Japan

Kobe City Museum, Kobe

Introduces the works of Japanese artists who lived and worked in Kobe.

South Korea

National Museum of Korea, Seoul

The largest historical and art museum and cultural center of the Republic of Korea.

Indonesia

Prambanan temple, Jawa island, Indonesia

UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Russia

State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg

The main and most beautiful museum in Russia.

The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Enjoy your virtual walk among the outstanding works of Russian artists without entry lines.

The Bulgakov Museum, Moscow

A way to virtually get into the writer’s office, take a look at archival photographs, and see how the greatest novel The Mater and Margarita was created.