This was published 3 years ago
Louvre musuem, Paris: You can now explore the entire collection online
You can now avoid the crowds (and COVID-19) by visiting the Louvre virtually. Credit: AP
The world's most visited museum is making sure art lovers stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions aren't missing out on their fix of prestigious paintings and sculptures.
The Louvre in Paris, France has just put its entire collection online for the first time. Including works from other museums, more than 482,000 works can now be viewed at collections.louvre.fr.
It includes works that are on display in the museum, on long-term loan in other French institutions, or in storage, as well as the collections at the Musée National Eugène-Delacroix, sculptures from the Tuileries and Carrousel gardens, and 'MNR' works (Musées Nationaux Récupération, or National Museums Recovery) recovered after WWII and entrusted to the Louvre until they can be returned to their legitimate owners.
The new website is split into three main sections: 'Visit', 'Explore', and 'What's on' and is available in a variety of languages. An interactive map also helps visitors to explore the museum room by room.
Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Musée du Louvre, said the museum is "dusting off its treasures, even the least-known".
"For the first time, anyone can access the entire collection of works from a computer or smartphone for free, whether they are on display in the museum, on loan, even long-term, or in storage.
"The Louvre's stunning cultural heritage is all now just a click away. I am sure that this digital content is going to further inspire people to come to the Louvre to discover the collections in person."
During the last year of lockdown, many museums and cultural institutions have put their collections online.
Among them, the Guggenheim Museum, New York put more than 1700 works by 625 artists online and the British Museum in London added virtual tours of Egyptian mummies, as well as prints and drawings and its Oceania section.
Melbourne's National Gallery of Victoria started a process to digitise its collection six years ago, but launched new ways to make its art accessible online following the outbreak of COVID-19.
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