Whether you are an artist, dealer, curator or other arts professional, you're most likely in the field of fine art due to your love and passion of art. Now you can carry your favorite paintings and sculptures from some of the world's finest art museums around with you by using some of these latest phone apps.
These museum apps provide the basics such as visitor info and GPS maps, but their salient feature is the detailed imagery and text description of the individual artworks that make these apps truly remarkable.
About.com Cellphone guide explains smartphones and Android apps and iPhone apps.
1. The Louvre Museum, Paris
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The Louvre app is a visual delight and features over 100 of the Museum's beloved masterpieces such as the famous Mona Lisa.
With each artwork, several close-up photographic details and a brief text are included. An interior map also shows where the artwork is installed, thus making your museum visit a breeze.
The photographs of the artwork and its details are visually stunning. If you only can choose one museum app, then the Louvre app is a must-have.
Read a profile of the Louvre Museum which includes employment opportunities.
2. The British Museum, London
The British Museum app includes photos and descriptions of important works in its collection. Audio clips describe the Museum's 10 key works such as the Rosetta Stone, the Parthenon Sculptures, the Mexican Mosaics and the Benin Bronzes.
In addition, maps highlight places to visit in the area of the Museum, making this app a useful tool for visiting London.
Besides being useful for tourists, the app is educational as it contains details such as being able to read the hieroglyphics of the Rosetta Stone.
Read a profile of the British Museum.
3. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg
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The State Hermitage Museum app will give you a virtual sense of being inside the museum and looking at the art in the individual galleries.
The app provides virtual and thematic tours, and educational courses. Highlights include in-depth info (both visual and text) about the artwork of da Vinci and Rembrandt.
Read more about Hermitage Museum.
4. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
The Uffizi Gallery app will take you on a virtual tour of its famous galleries.
The app also highlights the collection's important works such as Giotto’s Madonna Enthroned, Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Leonardo’s Annunciation, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch and Caravaggio's Medusa.
Read more about the Uffizi Gallery.
5. National Gallery, London
The National Gallery in London's app includes brief data on approximately 250 works, while going into high-res details on selected artworks. Also video, audio, and searching by theme are included.
Read more about the National Gallery and its employment opportunities.
6. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
The Rijksmuseum app provides detailed texts and high-resolution imagery of its classic art such as works by Vermeer and Rembrandt. Besides the Dutch Masters, the Museum's collection includes a wide variety of traditional, and spiritual Asian art.
Read more about the Rijksmuseum.
7. Museum of Modern Art, NYC
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The Museum of Modern Art app gets rave reviews from users. The app contains multimedia tours, audio and video podcasts, plus detailed information about the Museum's artworks and exhibitions.
Read more about MoMA: its location, its collection and its job listings.
8. National Palace Museum, Taipei
The National Palace Museum app contains high-res imagery of its impressive collection of ancient and traditional Chinese art and culture. However, the app is in Chinese, so if you do not understand the language, you can at least enjoy the photographs.
Read more aboutthe National Palace Museum.
9. The Getty
The Getty app features 150 works from its collection ranging from antiquities to Post-Impressionism.
Read more about the Getty: its famous conservation center and also the job listings.
