Long lines, pricey tickets, and strange hours. These are some of the things that you’ll have to deal with as an art lover if you want to go see the newest exhibits at your local museums. If you want to hear some poetry, going to readings means watery lattes and awkward silences between pieces. The good news is, we can bring the art to you and spare you inconveniences.
Top 5 art and culture apps
Google Arts & Culture
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A lot of newer lovers of art are familiar with Google's arts and culture app. It gained popularity last year with the 'art selfie' function, where you take a picture of yourself and Google pulls from its database of a ton of art to find some pieces that resemble you. You can also visit displays currently open around the world like Refik Anadol's projected lights on the surface of Walt Disney's Concert Hall, and use the virtual explorer to see the top of the Taj Mahal.
WikiArt
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WikiArt is the most straightforward of the apps. On the featured page, you'll see the top curated paintings chosen by Wikipedia. You have the option of adding pieces to your favorites, seeing the most popular paintings that people are searching for, and choosing what you want to see by style or genre. If you want to see work by a specific artist, head over to the 'artists' page and choose from the great pieces by painters like Claude Monet, Salvador Dali, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Poetry
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Simply named, Poetry was created by the Poetry Foundation in 2010. Tap the 'spin' button and the app will choose two categories at random, with a list of modern and classic poems beneath that align with both. Sometimes songs will pop up, too! A spin that lands on the humor and life categories pulls up John Ciardi's 'An Apartment with a View', while another spin landing on doubt and celebrations shows 'The African Burial Ground' by Yusef Komunyakaa. You can add poems to your favorites and share them with friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Asian Art Museum Tour
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In this app, you can view paintings, pottery, and sculptures from all over Asia that are currently located at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, California. In the masterpieces section, you'll find pictures of individual pieces with information about it, like the artist and the year it was made. The best part about this app is that when you tap on some art, a track will play where a narrator goes in depth about the piece including a visual description of the piece itself, more about the artist's influences, and notes from a curator. There's also a spotlight on a region in Asia; this month is art from India's Mithila region. If you'd like to visit the museum in person, the app gives you hours and a map of the entire building.
Daily Art
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DailyArt has 1,300 pieces currently in its database and is updated often. Every day there's a spotlight on work in the 'today's masterpiece' section, which includes an image, the title, artist, year created, and a short feature with more information. You can create your own account to favorite art and see your viewing history, but in order to get unlimited favorites and full access to all 1,300 pieces, you have to upgrade to DailyArt Pro. For $4.99 a month you'll get everything above and it'll unlock the option to view unseen pieces.
With all of this art, we’re sure you’ll find a ton of creations to hang up in your home and talk about with friends. Happy viewing!
