Deep into confinement, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people around the world. Despite early predictions from some experts in the field, most of us were unprepared for what was to come, what is still coming. Now with over 2 million reported cases around the world as of mid April and the death toll mounting 150,000 and climbing, many are predicting that things will get far worse before it gets better.
Seen by some as perhaps the poetic justice – or injustice – of a cruel separating force in nature, the human reaction in the face of this has covered the spectrum of all that is possible; from kindness and altruism to self-preservation, denial and hysteria – the good, the bad, and the ugliness of which we are capable. It has taken on such a scope that to envision a return to the life we have known has become increasingly difficult.
If only there were some force that would bring people out of isolation, away from our screens, and to break down the distance between one another. Still, we hope, as recovery rates are also on the rise. This is a benchmark in history, a kairos in our collective consciousness as a kind of awaking. To whatever we return after all of this, there is no longer what we have known to be normal.
Welcome to the .115th edition of Prescriptions. Here is our selection of some of the virtual art exhibitions and collections on Google Arts & Culture.
Nan Goldin, Philippe H. and Suzanne Kissing at Euthanasia, New York City, 1981
MoMA / Museum of Modern Art, New York
Founded in 1929, MoMA / The Museum of Modern Art 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. See virtual collection >
Jan Świtka, Crowd – Situations. Picture One, 1974
National Museum in Krakow
The National Museum in Krakow was established by a resolution of the Krakow City Council on 7 October 1879, as the first national museum institution at a time when the Polish people were deprived of their own statehood and country, which had been appropriated by the partitioning powers. See virtual collection >
Robert Rauschenberg, Collection, 1954/1955
SFMOMA / San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Founded in 1935, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art was the first museum on the West Coast devoted to modern and contemporary art. From the outset, SFMOMA championed the most innovative and challenging art of its time, presenting the first solo exhibitions of Arshile Gorky, Clyfford Still, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Motherwell, among others. See virtual collection >
Gian Maria Tosatti, Sette Stagioni dello Spirito
The Madre / Contemporary Art Museum, Naples
In the historical heart of Naples, just a stone’s throw away from the Duomo and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, the three floors of the 19th-century Palazzo Donnaregina host the Madre·museo d’arte contemporanea Donnaregina: 7,200 m² of exhibition space, with the site-specific installations as well as works from the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. See virtual collection >
Amedeo Modigliani, Young Woman in a Shirt, 1918
Albertina Museum, Vienna
Located in the historical heart of Vienna, the Albertina combines imperial flair and masterpieces of art. What used to be the city’s largest residential palace during the Habsburg monarchy is now an art museum of international renown whose name is also associated with one of the worlds most important graphic art collections and which attracts cultural travelers and city tourists from around the globe. See virtual collection >
Anthony Caro, Early One Morning, 1962
Tate, London
When Tate first opened its doors to the public in 1897 it had just one site, displaying a small collection of British artworks. Today Tate has four major sites and the national collection of British art from 1500 to the present day and international modern and contemporary art, which includes nearly 70,000 artworks. See virtual collection >
Albert Tucker, Memory of Leonski, 1943
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Founded in 1861, the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne is Australia’s oldest public art museum with a rich history and world class Collection of over 70,000 works. See virtual collection >
Paul Ramírez Jonas, Another Day, 2003
Guggenheim
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. See virtual collection >
Hans Hofmann, The Golden Wall, 1961
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is a world-renowned art museum housing one of the largest permanent collections in the United States. An encyclopedic museum, the Art Institute collects, preserves, and displays works in every medium from all cultures and historical periods as well as hosts special exhibitions. See virtual collection >
Charles and Ray Eames 2014
Barbican Centre, London
We inspire more people to discover and love the arts. A world-class arts and learning organization, the Barbican pushes the boundaries of all major art forms including dance, film, music, theatre and visual arts. See virtual collection >
Giuseppe Mastromatteo, I_01, Indepensense I, 2009
That’s Contemporary, Milan
That’s Contemporary is a cultural association founded in 2011 which maps contemporary art in Milan, aiming at creating a network involving institutions, galleries, non-profit and independent spaces with the purpose of increasing collective interest in art. See virtual collection >
Auguste Rodin, Bathing Woman, 1900/1902
National Gallery Prague
The National Gallery Prague houses domestic and international art collections. With over 400 000 objects of art the National Gallery in Prague is the largest and most important art institution in the Czech Republic that cares about the national art treasure and heritage. See virtual collection >
Juan Gris, The Musician’s Table, 1926
Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid
Founded in 1990 after originally being created as an art centre, Museo Reina Sofía is among the culminating events of the Spanish transition to democracy, recovering Pablo Picasso’s Guernica as well as an outstanding representation of the international avant-gardes and neo-avant-gardes. See virtual collection >
