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Coronavirus: Take in some of France's museums without leaving your couch
France's major institutions and cultural monuments have pulled out all the stops during the current period of lockdown to present their exhibitions and collections on the web.
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The Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des Glaces) of the Royal Palace of Versailles (Shutterstock/Birute Vijeikiene)
I
f you're growing weary of endless hours of Netflix and online yoga classes, you might like to visit a museum without leaving your couch.
France's major institutions and cultural monuments have pulled out all the stops during the current period of lockdown to present their exhibitions and collections on the web.
Read also: Museums and libraries across the world release free coloring pages
Museum of Impressionism Giverny
How about a trip to Normandy? Google Arts & Culture provides a generous serving of what the region has to offer, and it is all ready for you to devour without changing out of your pajamas.
On the program, there are several exhibitions, which, as you might expect, are focused on Impressionism, including one by contemporary Japanese artist Hiramatsu Reiji, who has reinterpreted Claude Monet's famous water lilies.
Explore the exhibition that was set to open in the Grand Palais on March 25 from the comfort of your living room.
To design this digital exhibition, the Réunion des Musées Nationaux teamed up with the Archeological Park of Pompeii and documentary maker, GEDEON Programmes. The result of this collaboration is a 3D reconstitution of the site.
The curious can take a plunge into the fascinating world of ongoing excavations, the restoration of mosaics, or the 3D reconstitution of a house and garden.
The Maison Européenne de la Photographie
Although the major Parisian photography space is currently closed, it remains accessible online.
Aficionados of the discipline may be interested to browse the institution's Instagram and Facebook accounts, which are currently presenting unpublished works by artist Erwin Wurm, and also setting a number of creative challenges.
Paris is also providing access to some 300,000 works via its website for the 17 museums belonging to the city.
The works have been arranged in a dozen themed collections, among them "Paris during the Revolution," "Artists' Workshops" and "Sport and Women's Fashion, 1880-1939." Art from the French capital's museums is also on view via the YouTube and Dailymotion channels for the Museums of the City of Paris.
If you are eager for a moment of calm in these troubled times, you might like to watch the video (below) for the Musée de la Vie Romantique exhibition "Coeurs" ("Hearts"), which opened on Valentine's Day and is now closed.
The former residence of the kings of France has also presented an exciting free resource, the virtual visit "Versailles VR: the Palace is yours," which allows you to explore the Royal Apartments, and to examine paintings, sculptures and furniture from a multiplicity of angles.
Fondation Cartier
On its Instagram account the famous French jeweler's foundation for contemporary art is posting daily excerpts of soundscapes that featured in the 2016 installation "The Great Animal Orchestra" devised for the Fondation Cartier by the American musician and bio-acoustician Bernie Krause.
Focused on audio from the natural world, Krause has collected close to 5,000 hours of sound from unspoiled natural habitats, which are home to 15,000 animal species.
His research offers a marvellous immersion in a wild world which has been reduced to silence by the din of human activity.
