Author Archives: Suhair Khan

Monet was here: Masterpieces and inspirations come to Google Arts & Culture

Art lovers and historians know that sometimes to comprehend the magnitude of an artwork, you need to see the world through the eyes of the artist and understand what inspired them. This is especially true of an artist as talented and beloved as Claude Monet, whose work many of us know but may not have considered in depth. To reveal these insights, the National Gallery London is opening a new exhibition entitled The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Monet and Architecture. This new show will open up a new window into Claude Monet’s world through the cities and buildings that brought his masterpieces to life.

And to mark the opening of the physical exhibition in London, you can now explore a selection of these works from the National Gallery, and see a stirring retrospective of Monet’s paintings from 17 more museums around the world, online on Google Arts & Culture.

Written by curators from the National Gallery, the online exhibition will feature new original stories about Monet, with little-known details of his travels through London, Paris, Rouen and Venice. For example, records show that Monet loved beautiful cities, appreciated architecture, and had a surprisingly great affinity for fog. This can be seen in much of his work, such as where he depicted the view of the Charing Cross Bridge from his suite in the Savoy Hotel in London.

london

You can also immerse yourself in new, ultra high-resolution imagery of many of Monet’s masterpieces, such as The Water Lily Pondand The Thames Below Westminster. This perspective lets you zoom up close to the works and view every subtle brushstroke, then step back in the digital space to see how these bursts of color create a complete view of the cityscapes that inspired him.

lily

And with Google Earth’s Voyager, both in-person patrons of the National Gallery and virtual visitors to the site can journey across Europe, following in Monet’s footsteps via his paintings. You can also see where his works are at present day—possible destinations for your next in-person or online art journey.

earth

Start your travels with Monet and check out more The National Gallery collections online with Google Arts & Culture and on our iOS and Android apps.

With just a flick of a wand, “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” is on Google Arts & Culture

For Harry Potter’s fellow students at Hogwarts, “A History of Magic” is historian Bathilda Bagshot’s legendary chronicle of Wizarding history. And last year, we mere Muggles got our own version. “Harry Potter: A History of Magic” is an exhibition from the British Library containing rare books, manuscripts and magical objects from the British Library’s collection, capturing the traditions of folklore and magic from across the world, which are at the heart of the Harry Potter stories.


Turns out, the exhibition was more popular than the Three Broomsticks on a cold day … it quickly sold out. To bring the Harry Potter magic to more fans around the world, hundreds of the exhibition’s treasures from London as well as 15 online exhibits are now available in six languages (English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi and Brazilian Portuguese, and more coming soon) on Google Arts & Culture.

? Skills for a modern wizard : 4 lessons in Muggle Magic

These examples shed light on what you’ll see in the exhibit. Lumos!

  • Still waiting for your Hogwarts letter_ For now, you can take your own Herbology class with Culpepper’s Herbal .jpg
    Still waiting for your Hogwarts letter? For now, you can take your own Herbology class with Culpepper’s Herbal (used by J.K. Rowling for inspiration for Herbology coursework).
  • Harry Potter_originalsketch.jpg
    Left: J.K. Rowling’s original sketch of the Hogwarts’ grounds (with her meticulous notes included). Right: The original synopsis of the first Harry Potter book.
  • Explore the The Ripley Scroll, which describes how to make the fabled Philosopher’s Stone .jpg
    Explore the The Ripley Scroll, which describes how to make the fabled Philosopher’s Stone
  • Divination Room - HP Google Maps.png
    Check out the Divination room in 360-degree tour.
  • Julian Harrison, lead curator of the exhibition, shares “Ten Strange Things You Didn't Know About the History of Magic.”.jpg
    Julian Harrison, lead curator of the exhibition, shares “Ten Strange Things You Didn't Know About the History of Magic.”
  • In a fascinating Q&A, Jim Kay (the famous illustrator of the books) what it was like to draw “The Boy Who Lived.”.jpg
    In a fascinating Q&A, Jim Kay (the famous illustrator of the books) what it was like to draw “The Boy Who Lived.”
  • Simon Costin, Director of Museum of Witchcraft and Wizardry talks about the “The Bewitching Collection.”.jpg
    Simon Costin, Director of Museum of Witchcraft and Wizardry

    http://museumofwitchcraftandmagic.co.uk/

    talks about the “The Bewitching Collection.”
  • Bloomsbury Children’s Books publishing director Rebecca McNally talks about the “Harry Potter Effect” .jpg
    Bloomsbury Children’s Books publishing director Rebecca McNally talks about the “Harry Potter Effect” and the enduring magic of the series.
  • Study of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy playing Quidditch by Jim Kay, for The Chamber of Secrets (1).jpg
    Jim Kay’s original painting ofHarry Potter and Draco Malfoy playing Quidditch.
  • Using the Celestial Globe, you can explore constellations.jpg
    Visitors to the library explored the British Library’s 400-year old Celestial Globe (with constellations like Draco, Lupus and Sirius). Check out this video to see what it was like.

The British Library exhibit has proven that “interest in magic is a real global phenomenon, and has fascinated people for thousands of years,” says Julian Harrison, Lead Curator for Medieval Historical Manuscripts and “Harry Potter: A History of Magic.”

“The British Library is thrilled that our blockbuster ‘Harry Potter: A History of Magic’ exhibition can now be viewed on Google Arts & Culture. We’ve used medieval manuscripts, precious printed books and Chinese oracle bones to explore magical traditions, from the making of potions to the harvesting of poisonous plants, and from the study of the night sky to the uses of unicorns.”

To explore these magical traditions for yourself, check out The British Library collections online with Google Arts & Culture and on our iOS and Android apps.

Google Arts & Culture shines a light on 5,000 years of English heritage

Some of the oldest prehistoric settlers roamed the land we call England today. In fact, England can trace its roots all the way back to the fifth century. That’s a lot of history, knowledge and culture to cover—enough to fill several libraries. But what about things that can’t be housed in libraries—archaeological artifacts, castles, forts and monuments like the Dover Castle from the 11th Century (the largest castle in England) or Hailes Abbey (where Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall is buried)? We’re partnering with English Heritage to create a new Google Arts & Culture exhibit that celebrates these sites and the incredible stories behind them. The collection captures the breadth of England's historical, architectural, and cultural heritage.


Through more than 30 multimedia exhibits and 10 editorial features on Google Arts & Culture, you can experience online almost 3,000 historic gems from the Prehistoric, Roman, Medieval, Tudor, Civil War and Stuart periods through the 21st century and from the perspective of the historians, experts and curators who manage the collections and heritage sites across England. You can explore by time period or, with the help of machine learning tools that recognize color patterns, you can sort through items by color (click on the paint palette icon to do this).


Here are a few examples of things you’ll find in the online exhibit:

  • Osborne House VR film.png
    For a brush with royalty,  take a 360 video tour of Queen Victoria’s life at Osborne House and the fascinating Indian-inspired Durbar Room.
  • Battle of Hastings.jpg
    Check out “The Battle of Hastings” by Francis William Wilkin. At nine meters across, it’s the biggest ever Google Art Camera capture.
  • Whitby Abbey.png
    Using Google Museum View, explore the ruins of Seventh Century Monastery Whitby Abbey, which was one of the inspirations for Bram Stoker’s classic, Dracula.
  • Elysium Closet.png
    Zoom into high gigapixel resolution image of the magnificent Elysium Closet from Bolsover Castle, in never before seen detail.
  • Screen Shot 2017-11-02 at 1.19.17 PM.png
    When you’re done with all that, explore the English Heritage collection in different colors.

At a launch event for the collection in Westminster Parliament in London, John Glen, Minister for Arts, Heritage and Tourism, emphasized the importance of cultural heritage and how technology can be used as a means of experiencing culture: “Our #CultureIsDigital project aims to harness the creative potential of technology to increase awareness and engagement in our world-class cultural organizations. The collaboration between Google and English Heritage is a perfect example of how the heritage and tech sectors can work together to present our history and culture in new and exciting ways. It showcases the richness and variety of our cultural heritage to the world and demonstrates how we can enhance the experience and share new stories using digital technologies.”  


Matt Thompson, Head of Collections at English Heritage, talked about the importance of technology in helping English Heritage share collections and stories: “English Heritage is looking for new ways to open our sites to the public and share their stories. With Google Arts & Culture, we’ve been able to bring people closer to our historic masterpieces, open up our storehouses to a global audience, and showcase unseen artifacts.”


The English Heritage collections can be viewed online with Google Arts & Culture and on our iOS and Android apps.

Exploring Contemporary Art with Google Arts & Culture

Working with more than 180 partners all over the world, Google Arts & Culture is shining a light on contemporary art, with a new collection of online stories and rich digital content at g.co/ContemporaryArt.

Contemporary Art_GAC.png
GAC_Contemporary Art

Through an immersive digital journey, we bring you straight to the institutions housing the world’s seminal contemporary art collections with the help of high quality visuals, gigapixel resolution images—which allow you to zoom into the tiny details of a piece of art, and panoramic Museum View imagery. You can hear amazing stories about art from curators, artists, and experts from institutions all over the world.

With a repository of online exhibits and editorial features, we answer common questions about the contemporary art world, introduce you to the world’s leading contemporary artists and icons, and perhaps most importantly, the issues that are shaping art today.

Contemporary Art_Big Questions.png

Here are some of our favorites:

iconicartistvideogif copy.gif

Explore more stories and immersive digital content on contemporary art from over 180 partners around the world with the Google Arts and Culture app on Android and iOS.

Screenshot 2017-10-04 at 22.42.53.png

Celebrating iconic British fashion on Google Arts & Culture

Creativity? Craftsmanship? Iconic Design? Count us in.

With our shared passion for great design, Google and the British Fashion Council are teaming up to bring to life the creativity, heritage and craftsmanship of British fashion--for anyone around the world to enjoy, for free. The project, found at g.co/britishfashion, will support the Council’s Education Foundation and aims to educate and inspire future generations of young fashion creatives, designers and students.

To celebrate its rich history and create new experiences around British fashion, the British Fashion Council has invited fashion icons - designers, makers and craftspeople, creatives, photographers, stylists and models - to come together and use advanced technologies to share their stories.

Visitors will be able to trace the history of British Fashion over the decades, and see giants of the industry - from Alexander McQueen to Vivienne Westwood - in specially curated digital experiences showcasing their stories, work and inspirations. There are over 1,500 gems to explore in over twenty-five multimedia stories and exhibits, more than one hundred and forty videos and three virtual reality experiences, all accessible from anywhere in the world, on desktop, laptop or mobile on iOS and Android.

British Fashion CI

As part of the collaboration, Sarah Mower MBE, the American Vogue Chief Critic and BFC Ambassador, has directed an immersive short film - Fashioning the Future - bringing viewers face-to-face with industry luminaries in virtual reality. Using Google Cardboard or on YouTube via a 360 video, users can be part of a conversation with supermodel Naomi Campbell, designer Anya Hindmarch, creative director Edward Enninful and Joan Burstein, founder of Browns Fashion.

More highlights of the digital collection include:

Sorting their searches by colour and chronology, visitors can also explore rich archival materials from top British fashion institutions such as i-D Magazine, trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant, and the milliner Stephen Jones. They will be able to get close to British Fashion’s biggest characters and moments, reliving Kate Moss’s first runway show at London Fashion Week and exploring profiles of the fashion industry’s key players - from David Bailey to Naomi Campbell.

Users will also be able to go behind-the-scenes of top craftspeople and producers of British fashion, learning about the methods and histories of enduring symbols of British heritage. And, in anticipation of London Fashion Week Men’s in January, the site will feature a ‘Spotlight on Menswear’ featuring content from fashion insiders such as Dylan Jones, Jim Chapman and Nick Knight.

To mark the launch of the project, Britain’s Paul Smith has designed a special-edition Google Cardboard and created an online experience around five objects that represent his creative vision and brand.

Cardboard CI

The online exhibition opens today at g.co/britishfashion and is available for free online and through the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. You can watch all the 360 degree videos on YouTube.

Celebrating iconic British fashion on Google Arts & Culture

Creativity? Craftsmanship? Iconic Design? Count us in.

With our shared passion for great design, Google and the British Fashion Council are teaming up to bring to life the creativity, heritage and craftsmanship of British fashion--for anyone around the world to enjoy, for free. The project, online at g.co/britishfashion, aims to educate and inspire present and future generations of young fashion creatives, designers and students.

To celebrate its rich history and create new experiences around British fashion, the British Fashion Council has invited fashion icons - designers, makers and craftspeople, creatives, photographers, stylists and models - to come together and use advanced technologies to share their stories.

Visitors will be able to trace the history of British Fashion over the decades, and see giants of the industry - from Alexander McQueen to Vivienne Westwood - in specially curated digital experiences showcasing their stories, work and inspirations. There are over 1,500 gems to explore in over twenty-five multimedia stories and exhibits, more than one hundred and forty videos and three virtual reality experiences, all accessible from anywhere in the world, on desktop, laptop or mobile on iOS and Android.

British Fashion CI

As part of the collaboration, Sarah Mower MBE, the American Vogue Chief Critic and BFC Ambassador, has directed an immersive short film - Fashioning the Future - bringing viewers face-to-face with industry luminaries in virtual reality. Using Google Cardboard or on YouTube via a 360 video, users can be part of a conversation with supermodel Naomi Campbell, designer Anya Hindmarch, creative director Edward Enninful and Joan Burstein, founder of Browns Fashion.

More highlights of the digital collection include:

Sorting their searches by colour and chronology, visitors can also explore rich archival materials from top British fashion institutions such as i-D Magazine, trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant, and the milliner Stephen Jones. They will be able to get close to British Fashion’s biggest characters and moments, reliving Kate Moss’s first runway show at London Fashion Week and exploring profiles of the fashion industry’s key players - from David Bailey to Naomi Campbell.

Users will also be able to go behind-the-scenes of top craftspeople and producers of British fashion, learning about the methods and histories of enduring symbols of British heritage. And, in anticipation of London Fashion Week Men’s in January, the site will feature a ‘Spotlight on Menswear’ featuring content from fashion insiders such as Dylan Jones, Jim Chapman and Nick Knight.

To mark the launch of the project, Britain’s Paul Smith has designed a special-edition Google Cardboard and created an online experience around five objects that represent his creative vision and brand.

Cardboard CI

The online exhibition opens today at g.co/britishfashion and is available for free online and through the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. You can watch all the 360 degree videos on YouTube.

Celebrating iconic British fashion on Google Arts & Culture

Creativity? Craftsmanship? Iconic Design? Count us in.

With our shared passion for great design, Google and the British Fashion Council are teaming up to bring to life the creativity, heritage and craftsmanship of British fashion--for anyone around the world to enjoy, for free. The project, online at g.co/britishfashion, aims to educate and inspire present and future generations of young fashion creatives, designers and students.

To celebrate its rich history and create new experiences around British fashion, the British Fashion Council has invited fashion icons - designers, makers and craftspeople, creatives, photographers, stylists and models - to come together and use advanced technologies to share their stories.

Visitors will be able to trace the history of British Fashion over the decades, and see giants of the industry - from Alexander McQueen to Vivienne Westwood - in specially curated digital experiences showcasing their stories, work and inspirations. There are over 1,500 gems to explore in over twenty-five multimedia stories and exhibits, more than one hundred and forty videos and three virtual reality experiences, all accessible from anywhere in the world, on desktop, laptop or mobile on iOS and Android.

British Fashion CI

As part of the collaboration, Sarah Mower MBE, the American Vogue Chief Critic and BFC Ambassador, has directed an immersive short film - Fashioning the Future - bringing viewers face-to-face with industry luminaries in virtual reality. Using Google Cardboard or on YouTube via a 360 video, users can be part of a conversation with supermodel Naomi Campbell, designer Anya Hindmarch, creative director Edward Enninful and Joan Burstein, founder of Browns Fashion.

More highlights of the digital collection include:

Sorting their searches by colour and chronology, visitors can also explore rich archival materials from top British fashion institutions such as i-D Magazine, trailblazing 1960s designer Mary Quant, and the milliner Stephen Jones. They will be able to get close to British Fashion’s biggest characters and moments, reliving Kate Moss’s first runway show at London Fashion Week and exploring profiles of the fashion industry’s key players - from David Bailey to Naomi Campbell.

Users will also be able to go behind-the-scenes of top craftspeople and producers of British fashion, learning about the methods and histories of enduring symbols of British heritage. And, in anticipation of London Fashion Week Men’s in January, the site will feature a ‘Spotlight on Menswear’ featuring content from fashion insiders such as Dylan Jones, Jim Chapman and Nick Knight.

To mark the launch of the project, Britain’s Paul Smith has designed a special-edition Google Cardboard and created an online experience around five objects that represent his creative vision and brand.

Cardboard CI

The online exhibition opens today at g.co/britishfashion and is available for free online and through the new Google Arts & Culture mobile app on iOS and Android. You can watch all the 360 degree videos on YouTube.