For many students the Covid-19/ Coronavirus has presented a massive and unexpected problem – when their school has suddenly closed, and they no longer have easy or ‘normal’ access to their teachers or peers.

You have my sympathy if you are in this situation, but possibly more useful than my sympathy are some useful art and art-history links that might at least allow you to explore and be productive during this time.

Its not good to spend too much time sitting in front of a screen so its important that you also take breaks – but here I have assembled links to some fantastic online art resources and information websites.

Try visiting

 1 The fabulous Google Arts and Culture

https://artsandculture.google.com/, https://artsandculture.google.com/project/virtual-tours

“Google Arts & Culture features content from over 1200 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute”

 Through this portal you can explore, for example, “The Scandalous Portraits of Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun”

Alexander McQueen, Spring / Summer 2017 (Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen2016) or 6 Things You Never Knew About Claude Monet

It’s also linked to the equally fabulous Google Art Project https://artsandculture.google.com/usergallery/mQLCCaPwUuL0KQ

2 ArtBabble

https://www.artistsnetwork.com/magazine/artbabble-org/

“ArtBabble.org is an online community that uses videos to discuss, share and celebrate the world we know as art. Launched by the Indianapolis Museum of Art, the site features videos of cultural highlights from more than 20 organizations, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, and most recently the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.” https://www.artistsnetwork.com/magazine/artbabble-org/

3 The National Gallery of Art/NGA Images

https://images.nga.gov/en/page/show_home_page.html

“NGA Images is a repository of digital images of the collections of the National Gallery of Art. On this website you can search, browse, share, and download images. A standards-based reproduction guide and a help section provide advice for both novices and experts. More than 51,000 open access digital images up to 4000 pixels each are available free of charge for download and use. NGA Images is designed to facilitate learning, enrichment, enjoyment, and exploration.” https://images.nga.gov/en/page/show_home_page.html

 4 Smarthistory

 https://smarthistory.org/

“Smarthistory is the most-visited art history resource in the world & official provider of art history for Khan Academy.”

 5 MetPublications

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications

(“At Smarthistory we believe art has the power to transform lives and to build understanding across cultures. We believe that the brilliant histories of art belong to everyone, no matter their background. Five decades of Met publications on art history, available to read, download, and/or search for free”) https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications