Social distancing can certainly be a challenge to many of us. But, with that in mind, businesses are being creative! Have you ever thought about exploring New York through Google Arts & Culture?

Google Arts & Culture was created back in early 2011 and is “an online platform through which the public can access high-resolution images of artworks housed in the initiative’s partner museums.

The project was launched through its Google Cultural Institute initiative, in cooperation with 17 international museums, including the Tate Gallery, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City; and the Uffizi, Florence.”

You’re able to explore some of the most wonderful museums and places, art collections and historical works in history! Some of the Categories this content is divided in are:

• Explore the Collections: Museums, galleries, and institutions around the world
• Explore in High Definition: Discover the details you might have missed
• Explore in Augmented and Virtual Reality: Experience culture in 360˚ degrees
• Being Basquiat
• Explore by Time: From ancient artifacts to contemporary art
• Explore in 3D: Get a new perspective
• Explore with Street View: From backstage at the Paris Opera to the top of the Taj Mahal
• Explore by Artist: Discover artists alphabetically or through time
• Explore by Color: From serene greens in Impressionism to vibrant yellows by Van Gogh
• Explore Culture Across the Globe: Discover food, fashion, magic, and more

https://artsandculture.google.com

Moreover, take a look at the New York City museums that you can explore through Google Arts & Culture!

1) The Metropolitan Museum Of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, kindly known as The Met, is not only one of the most renowned museums in the world, but it’s also one of our personal favorites.

Getting lost in it is one our favorites things to do. Due to the current situation, with the Covid-19, we wanted to remind you that you can explore their collection online!

“The Met presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world for everyone to experience and enjoy. The Museum lives in three iconic sites in New York City—The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people also take part in The Met experience online.

Since it was founded in 1870, The Met has always aspired to be more than a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes alive in the Museum’s galleries and through its exhibitions and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and across cultures.”

Go explore!

2) The Cloisters Museum and Gardens

Many people don’t know that The Cloisters is actually part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The museum opened to the public in May of 1938 and is focused on art and architecture of medieval Europe.

It’s located at Fort Tyron Park with a priceless view of the Hudson River – and I have the say, the sunset there is amazing!

“Located in a spectacular four-acre setting overlooking the Hudson River, the building incorporates elements from five medieval cloisters—Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Bonnefont-en-Comminges, Trie-en-Bigorre, and Froville—and from other monastic sites located in southern France.

Three of the cloisters reconstructed at the branch museum feature gardens planted according to horticultural information found in medieval treatises and poetry, garden documents and herbals, and medieval works of art such as tapestries, stained-glass windows, and column capitals.”

Go explore!

3) Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Another museum, part of the list of most famous NYC museums, is MOMA – the Museum of Modern Art.

“Founded in 1929, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in midtown Manhattan was the first museum devoted to the modern era.

Today MoMA’s rich and varied collection offers a panoramic overview of modern and contemporary art, from the innovative European painting and sculpture of the 1880s to today’s film, design, and performance art.

From an initial gift of eight prints and one drawing, the collection has grown to include over 150,000 paintings, sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs, architectural models and drawings, and design objects; approximately 22,000 films and four million film stills; and, in its Library and Archives, over 300,000 books, artist books, and periodicals, and extensive individual files on more than 70,000 artists.”

Go explore!

4) The Frick Collection

Not many people that come visit or live New York have The Frick Collection on their To-Go itinerary. But, it’s definitely their loss, since it gathers a breathtaking collection!

“The Frick Collection was founded by Henry Clay Frick (1849-1919), the Pittsburgh coke and steel industrialist.

At his death, Mr. Frick bequeathed his New York residence and the most outstanding of his many artworks to establish a public gallery for the purpose of “encouraging and developing the study of the fine arts.”

Chief among his bequests, which also included sculpture, drawings, prints, and decorative arts such as furniture, porcelains, enamels, rugs, and silver, were one hundred thirty-one paintings.

The Frick Collection now houses a permanent collection of more than 1,100 works of art from the Renaissance to the late nineteenth century.”

Go explore!

5) Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum is just a few steps from The Met, and part of the Museum Mile in the Upper East Side. It’s architecture has been the topic of countless discussions on modern and contemporary art, as well as within the architectural universe!

“Founded in 1937, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is dedicated to promoting the understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications.

The Guggenheim network that began in the 1970s when the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, was joined by the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, has since expanded to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (opened 1997), and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (currently in development).

Looking to the future, the Guggenheim Foundation continues to forge international collaborations that take contemporary art, architecture, and design beyond the walls of the museum.”

Go explore!

6) American Museum of Natural History

This museum is not only for kids, but adults love it as well. It’s been the scenery in famous blockbuster movies and was obviously the star in the trilogy “Night at the Museum” with Ben Stiller!

We have to agree that seeing all the specimens and artifacts coming to life at night, was pretty cool, right?

“The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869, is one of the world’s preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses 45 permanent exhibition halls, including the Rose Center for Earth and Space and the Hayden Planetarium, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions.

It is home to the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, New York State’s official memorial to its 33rd governor and the nation’s 26th president, and a tribute to Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of conservation.

The Museum’s five active research divisions and three cross-disciplinary centers support approximately 200 scientists, whose work draws on a world-class permanent collection of more than 33 million specimens and artifacts, as well as specialized collections for frozen tissue and genomic and astrophysical data, and one of the largest natural history libraries in the world.”

Go explore!

7) Whitney Museum Of American Art

Love love the Whitney Museum and every time, we get swept of our feet with the exhibitions they put on. “Roy Lichtenstein’s Entablatures” and “Andy Warhol’s From A to B and back again” are just two to name!

“As the preeminent institution devoted to the art of the United States, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents the full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists.

The Whitney is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and exhibiting American art, and its collection—arguably the finest holding of twentieth-century American art in the world—is the Museum’s key resource.

The Museum’s signature exhibition, the Biennial, is the country’s leading survey of the most recent developments in American art.Innovation has been a hallmark of the Whitney since its beginnings.”

Go explore!

Now, a few other collections on Google Arts & Culture you might like to explore:

8) Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

“Cooper Hewitt is America’s design museum. Inclusive, innovative and experimental, the museum’s dynamic exhibitions, education programs, master’s program, publications and online resources inspire, educate and empower people through design.

An integral part of the Smithsonian Institution—the world’s largest museum and research complex—Cooper Hewitt is located on New York City’s Museum Mile in the historic, landmark Carnegie Mansion. Steward of one of the world’s most diverse and comprehensive design collections—over 210,000 objects that range from an ancient Egyptian faience cup dating to about 1100 BC to contemporary 3-D-printed objects and digital code—Cooper Hewitt welcomes everyone to discover the importance of design and its power to change the world.

Cooper Hewitt knits digital into experiences to enhance ideas, extend reach beyond museum walls and enable greater access, personalization, experimentation and connection.”

Go explore!

9) The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center

More and more, we know and feel how important it is to share the story and lives of the LGBTQ+ community. Not only is the City of New York the home to the start of the entire movement, but today it gathers a beautiful, strong, proud, healthy community!

The Stonewall Inn was the place where the gay rights movement kicked off in 1969, and there is a great deal more to learn and share!

“New York City’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center empowers people to lead healthy, successful lives. The Center celebrates our diversity and advocates for justice and opportunity.”

Go explore!

10) The Morgan Library & Museum

We love exploring the city’s libraries and we’re always sharing about the New York Public Library, But, The Morgan Library & Museum is gorgeous and definitely worth visiting!

“Just a short walk from Grand Central and Penn Station, the Morgan is a major exhibition venue for fine art, literature, and music, one of New York’s great historic sites, and a wonderful place to dine, shop, and attend a concert or film.”

Go explore!

11) Brooklyn Museum

It’s no news that Brooklyn borough is becoming more and more part of the travel scene. Curious and demanding tourists (the ones that don’t enjoy exploring the saturated touristy scene) are flocking into the neighborhood. They falling in love with every business and every corner.

“The Brooklyn Museum, housed in a 560,000-square-foot, Beaux-Arts building, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the country. Its world-renowned permanent collections range from ancient Egyptian masterpieces to contemporary art, and represent a wide range of cultures.

The mission of the Brooklyn Museum is to act as a bridge between the rich artistic heritage of world cultures, as embodied in its collections, and the unique experience of each visitor.”

Go explore!

Lastly, you might want to see the Google Arts & Culture full list of partners that are part of the online Museum experience!

Have fun exploring New York and share your thoughts with us below!!

Photo Credits: ©Behind the Scenes NYC, ©2018 Scott Rudd to the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Scott Kelby, 2015 to the Morgan Library & Museum and courtesy of the Museums
Excerpts: Google Arts & Culture