Nothing beats the experience of seeing a fine piece of art or a historical artifact up close and in person. But while many establishments remain close and we are required to stay home, virtual tours allow many to “visit” some of the world’s most famous museums and historical houses.
For instance, Palacio de Memoria, the resplendent Colonial Revival mansion in Parañaque City, now opens its doors to let guests visit and marvel at its luxurious facilities and hundreds of Euro-Filipino paintings, sculptures, and historical pieces online (www.palaciodememoria.com/tours).
The virtual tour offers a highly detailed and interactive presentation of the heritage house through 360-degree videos.
“With most of us being isolated from the outside world, we hope that Palacio de Memoria’s virtual tour will not only give the public respite during these uncertain times but also keep them productive as they learn and get a glimpse of a significant time in our history that was once Manila’s prime,” said Palacio de Memoria general manager Camille Lhuillier.
The tour begins with an aerial and outdoor view of the estate which shows the restored pre-war mansion. It then leads to the first floor which shows the Los Tamaraos Ballroom and its Murano chandelier, as well as the terrazzo floor by National Artist for Architecture Juan Nakpil.
It also shows the showroom of Palacio de Memoria’s auction house, Casa de Memoria or the Casa, which houses the Lhuilliers’ unrivalled collection of antiques. Other highlights include the Mosphil Lounge, a passenger plane that was refitted to be a lounge for special occasions; the bridal suite which is perfect for weddings; and the recently opened museum which also serves as a chapel for intimate weddings and religious gatherings.
Other museums open for virtual tour include the following:
National Museum’s National Art Gallery (www.nationalmuseum.gov.ph) which houses Juan Luna’s “Spoliarium” and Félix Resurrección Hidalgo’s “El Asesinato del Gobernador Bustamante” (The Assassination of Governor Bustamante) among other classical, neoclassical, religious, academic, and romantic art.
Presidential Museum and Library (artsandculture.google.com/partner/malacanang-presidential-museum-and-library) which is located at the Kalayaan Hall in Malacañang Palace. Here lies a number of notable artworks, souvenirs, and portraits of former presidents of the Philippines.
Louvre Museum (www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne), the world’s largest art museum and a historical monument in Paris, France that houses important and popular exhibits such as the Egyptian antiquities (composed of 50,000 pieces), Near Eastern antiquities, sculptures, paintings (Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa”), prints, and drawings.
Solomon R Guggenheim Museum (www.guggenheim.org/collection-online) whose some of the priceless pieces of artwork are available for viewing online, including the works of Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso, and Jeff Koons.
The British Museum (artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-british-museum) houses a huge collection of approximately eight million pieces—including the Rosetta Stone and Egyptian mummies—which let viewers discover over two million years of human history and culture.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour) get a comprehensive room-by-room, 360-degree walking tour inside one of the most visited museums in the world whose exhibits include the Hall of Mammals, and Dinosaurs and Hall of Paleobiology.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features) houses over two million works of fine art including those by Rembrandt, Degas, Vincent van Gogh, and Jackson Pollock, among many others.
National Museum of Korea (artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-museum-of-korea) where visitors can learn the Korean history and way of life from the wide range of artworks and artifacts on display.
Museum of Contemporary Art Bangkok (artsandculture.google.com/partner/museum-of-contemporary-art-moca-bangkok) houses a huge collection of valuable paintings and sculptures that promotes and highlights the rich legacy and heritage of Thailand.
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum (artsandculture.google.com/partner/tokyo-fuji-art-museum) is composed of approximately 30,000 Japanese, Eastern, and Western artworks that range from paintings, sculptures, ceramics and laquerware, photography, prints, swords, and medallions.
National Gallery Singapore (artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-gallery-singapore) presents a comprehensive collection composed of over 8,000 pieces from the 19th and 20th centuries that include paintings, sculptures, prints, photos, and videos.
