Google to create virtual tour of world’s top galleries

ZCZC
ANI 006(Technology/Others)

Google has adapted its Street View technology to map galleries and museums around the world so that people can take free virtual tours online.

The second phase of the Google Art Project, which was announced in February, has seen the firm add sculptures, street art and photographs from venues in 40 countries.

The website, which will go live on Wednesday morning, - will offer 30,000 works in collaboration with the likes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery, in London.

Others, such as the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Uffizi in Florence and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi, are also included.

Some of the images have been photographed in detail using super high-resolution “gigapixel” cameras, enabling the viewer to study the brushwork and details that can be missed by the naked eye.

According to Google, they want to bring masterpieces that are often reserved for the privileged few to a wider audience for free.

“You get to travel from your computer to some of the greatest museums in the world, but also some of the museums in the world that you’ve never heard of,” Sky News quoted Amit Sood, head of Google Art Project as saying.

“You can explore individual pieces of art like you’ve never done before,” he added.