Paris received its firs digital museum dedicated to fine arts. Colourful projections of early 20th-century paintings, including those by Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, are displayed at the Atelier des Lumière in a breathtaking way.
Located in a former 19th century cast-house in the 11th arrondissement, the space is the French capital’s first digital fine art museum. Curated by Culturespaces, a private operator of museum and monuments, Atelier des Lumières features artworks projected onto 10-metre-high walls across a 3,300 square metre area.
The aim of the exhibition is to make art accessible to a large audience, one that doesn’t regularly visit museums or galleries. This is also a sign that the world of art is ready to take the leap into the digital world, bringing the future one step closer.
As Bruno Monnier, president of Culturespaces said in an interview, “Practices are evolving and the cultural offering must be in step with them. The marriage of art and digital technology is, in my opinion, the future of the dissemination of art among future generations.”
The building is owned by the Martin family, who agreed to offer the main hall and its annexes in 2014, as a space for this special project. Today, the building features three main exhibition rooms. Two of them are dedicated to Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and a century of Viennese painting, which includes works by Egon Schiele and Hundertwasser. The third room is reserved for emerging artists and features a number of AI and digital installations.
The artworks are accompanied by a “motion design” sound system with over 50 speakers, playing sountracks by Chopin, Wagner or Beethoven.
“It allows visitors to discover art from a new angle and through immersive experiences. We combine classical art and digital art – I am convinced that the marriage of art and digital technology is the future of the dissemination of art among future generations,” said Couzigou in an interview for Dezeen.
“It is able to reach a younger and wider audience than that of the traditional museums. This approach is not intended to replace museums but is a complementary approach to art,” he explained.
