Online Projects by Italian Contemporary Art Museums

The use of new technologies and the tight collaboration with MiBACT (the Italian Ministry of fine art, cultural activities and tourism) have led the way to virtual tours, online activities and educational contents which can be appreciated on the official websites and social media accounts of museums and contemporary art institutions.

The Milanese contemporary art pavilion enables its visitors to discover the online archive of all the exhibitions hosted in its spaces from 1979 up to our days, gathering images, videos, photo galleries and more. Thanks to the virtual tours through the temporary projects, art lovers can discover insightful highlights on the authors and on the concepts behind the various exhibitions. Moreover, PAC has powered a series of digital family labs (Family Lab Digitali) targeted at explaining contemporary art even to the youngest guests. The Family Labs can be enjoyed on PAC’s official YouTube channel.

To celebrate the 15th anniversary from its foundation, Turin’s Fondazione Merz has launched its new project #FondazioneMerzRewind, featuring a daily online narration of the foundation’s Instagram and Facebook profiles. Images, videos and scripts lead visitors into a virtual tour back in time through period exhibitions and installations. Besides enjoying virtual tours of the Fondazione, in May and June guests can also take part in talks part of the Scusi, non capisco format, featuring face-to-face dialogues between two authors or artists that have collaborated with the foundation and reflecting on the role of contemporary art. Dialogues are available live every Sunday at 4.30pm (Italian time) on Fondazione Merz’s Instagram account.

Palazzo Grassi, the cultural hub overlooking Venice’s lagoon and devoted to contemporary art has enriched the video channel on its official website (see below) to provide visitors with virtual tours of all the past exhibitions hosted in its spaces. Moreover, to make the lockdown more pleasurable, Palazzo Grassi – Punta della Dogana has introduced a series of online workshops and laboratories suitable for gusts all ages featuring the collaboration of illustrator Olimpia Zagnoli, design team Studio Saòr, writer Ryoko Sekiguchi and designer Giulio Iacchetti. The activities can be seen on the official Instagram and Facebook accounts and on Palazzo Grassi’s website under the hashtags #palazzograssiatyourse #openlab.

MAXXI, the National Museum perfected by Zaha Hadid and focusing on contemporary creativity in all its shapes opens its doors to virtual visitors thanks to the Google Arts & Culture technology. Some of the featured ar
t and architecture exhibitions, as well as fashion, cinema and music projects hosted in its spaces can be seen close up thanks to the latest technologies. On the dedicated section on Google Arts & Culture art lovers can also discover highlights on the date of creations and on the context behing each masterpiece.

The full collection of Italian and international art from the 19th and 20th century hosted in Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea can now be enjoyed online thanks to Google Arts & Culture. Over 20,000 masterpieces spanning from paintings to drawings and sculptures from Neoclassic and Impressionist art, as well as Divisionism, Futurism and Surrealism are visible close-up, enhanced by insights on the author and on the featured technique.