Google brings Indian Art and Culture online
Google has announced a partnership with two institutions under the Ministry of Culture - National Museum and National Gallery of Modern Art, to bring its path breaking Art Project, to India. Google's art project is believed to be a unique online platform for museums from across the world to showcase their artworks. It will enable art lovers to discover and view more than a thousand artworks of Indian and global artists in both the museums, online.
The initiative was inaugurated by Smt. Kumari Selja, Hon'ble Minister of Culture and Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. Dr. Vijay Madan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture was also present on the occasion.
Smt. Kumari Selja said "In recent times, unfortunately, art has become somewhat inaccessible for a variety of reasons. Fortunately, technology has come to our aid and it has now become possible to access art, and information related to it, with relative ease and little expenditure And I am happy that Google Art Project has created this extensive platform that allows web-surfers to not only see high quality digitized images of art on their computer screens but also to access enormous amount of information about the art works. I am happy that my ministry is partnering with Google to get Indian art and culture online."
Amit Sood, Head, Art Project, Google said, "The new expanded Art Project demonstrates our commitment to all types of art - and cultures and civilizations all across the globe. The Art Project is no longer just about the Indian student wanting to visit Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It is now also about the American student wanting to visit the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi."
Prof. Rajeev Lochan, Director, National Gallery, Modern Art said, "The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) is the premier museum of modern art and is a repository of the visual, plastic and creative ethos of India. The NGMA houses and showcases masterpieces of the changing art forms spanning more than 150 years. The collection plays a pivotal role as it maps, charters and records the trajectories, movements, diversities and individual pursuits that have contributed to the making of modern Indian art. The main objective of the NGMA is to create sensitivity, awareness and understanding among national and international audiences towards the Indian idiom and art expression. The Google Art Project uses sophisticated technology to help us take this endeavour online and available to users globally."
Shri Pravin Srivastava, Director General, National Museum said, "The National Museum's association with the Google Art Project allows us to give worldwide virtual access to moments in India's history. The Art Project is an important initiative to make available and promote the heritage of our museums using state of art technology. We are extremely happy to be part of this endeavour that enables universal access to Indian art and culture".
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