Step Inside the World’s Museums with Virtual Museum Collections

Online Collections Created with eMuseum Take on New Importance

Amid widespread museum closures around the world, many institutions have rallied and inspired us by finding creative ways to share their museum collections online, from publishing entire exhibits to livestreaming special events, and creating special hashtags on social media (#MuseumFromHome, #MuseumSunshine, etc.).

To continue in this spirit, we are sharing with you six virtual museum collections from renowned American and European museums built with eMuseum. Through our online collections software, these Gallery Systems clients are able to creatively display their permanent collections, current and past exhibitions, as well as public art.

Take a moment to explore the following eMuseum sites in anticipation of being welcomed inside the world’s museums once more:

• Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria
• Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Arkansas, U.S.
• The Block Museum of Art, Illinois, U.S.
• Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, Tennessee, U.S.
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, U.S.
• Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Virginia, U.S.

Österreichische Galerie Belvedere

Step virtually into Vienna’s iconic Belvedere palace to tour the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere through its eMuseum site, featuring curated highlights from its vast collections.

Celebrated for its exceptional collection of Austrian art, spanning from the Middle Ages into today, the Museum is perhaps best known for housing the world’s largest collection of paintings by symbolist Gustav Klimt. Several of Klimt’s pieces, including famous works like Der Kiss (The Kiss) and Judith, are displayed online, alongside notable paintings from the Neoclassical, Expressionist, and Baroque eras.

The object record of Österreichische Galerie Belvedere’s The Kiss (1908-1909), by Gustav Klimt, features several files types, including images optimized for the IIIF standard, a sound file, and a video file.

To reach a larger online audience, the Belvedere’s virtual museum collections feature both German and English text, allowing visitors to engage with the rich history behind these splendid collections. This bilingual feature is supported by eMuseum as is it fully Unicode-compliant.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

While the breathtaking Moshe Safdie building that houses the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is presently closed to the public, visitors can still explore its permanent collections and past exhibitions through eMuseum.

Fifty years of American art is featured within the Museum’s resident collection, which spans from the Colonial era to present day, and hosts such famed pieces as Andy Warhol’s Coca-Cola [3] and Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter.

Dale Chihuly’s magnificent steel and glass Fiori Boat (2016) is part of the Museum’s outdoor art and virtual museum collections. Users can click on Favorite to add its object record to their virtual collection for easy future access to its detailed information and many images.

Standing within 120 acres of Ozark forests, the Crystal Bridges Museum is also well-known for its impressive collection of outdoor art, including pieces by Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, Marina Abramović, James Turrell, and Dale Chihuly, all viewable within its eMuseum site. Through the spectacular photos, online visitors can truly imagine themselves touring the verdant property in summertime.

The Block Museum of Art

Housed within the Northwestern University campus, The Block Museum of Art hosts 6,000 art holdings, collected and displayed with a focus on enhancing the learning experience for its student body, along with the regional community. The Museum’s permanent collection is interdisciplinary and relies strongly on 16th to 20th-century paper-based work, such as drawings, photographs, and prints, while global modern and contemporary art also plays a prominent role.

Go on a virtual walk and discover the artworks along the path of The Block Museum of Art’s Campus Art Walk collection, such as Jean (Hans) Arp’s Feuille se reposant (1959, cast 1967).

Through its eMuseum site, The Block Museum notably displays the Campus Art Walk, its public art collection featuring 16 striking sculptures by 13 artists. University visitors – and students nostalgic to return to class – can enrichen their campus explorations by learning the titles and sculptors behind each piece, along with its exact location on the grounds.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

Discover what awaits inside the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art with its meticulously organized virtual museum collections, powered by eMuseum.

As both the largest and the oldest art gallery in Tennessee, this long-standing museum plays an integral role in the local community. Indeed, its upheld motto is “Transforming lives through the power of art.” To further pursue this objective online, the Memphis Brooks Museum has shared much of its 29 diverse galleries on its eMuseum site.

Daisies (1958-1959) by American artist Beth Van Hoesen is one of the works featured in the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art’s Women Artists collections.

While the expected categories are featured, such as paintings and sculpture, the Museum also shines individual spotlights on work by women, regional, self-taught, and African-American artists, whose work it has increasingly collected and exhibited in a push to combat histories of marginalization and exclusion.

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Travel back to a bygone era of Williamsburg with the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s frequently updated eMuseum site.

As a living-history museum with two on-site art galleries, this storied property hosts an impressive collection of American and British relics from the 17th to 19th centuries, including elaborate costumes, ornate furniture, musical instruments, illustrated maps, and children’s toys. Accompanying many objects is a wealth of historic and provenance detail, along with beautifully shot photographs with deep zoom capabilities.

To enhance the visitor experience further, new objects are added daily to the Foundation’s eMuseum site. You can also browse through current and past exhibitions at your leisure, which offer a vivid portrayal of the city’s past.

Search past exhibitions’ collections, such as Material Witnesses: Quilts and Their Makers, on the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s eMuseum site.