The British Museum houses objects dating back 2 million years, from the dawn of human culture to the present. The museum tour provides 360-degree views of thousands of objects as they appear in the museum's halls, as well as prints of the objects that can be enlarged and viewed in greater detail.

In addition to the Google Arts & Culture description of each item, there is a link to the British Museum's own website with additional information on each piece, including the curator's notes and a description of how each piece was acquired. The British Museum also has a separate online collection, "The Museum of the World", which is a collaboration with the Google Cultural Institute and includes audio explanations of items from British Museum curators.

Pieces/Items on Display: 4,918

Museum Type: Art, Artifacts

View Details: britishmuseum.withgoogle.com

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was the world's first museum devoted to the modern era when it opened in Manhattan in 1929. The museum has tried to stay ahead of the curve by making a large portion of its collection available for viewing online. The museum's Google Arts & Culture selection is limited, but its own website is quite extensive, displaying tens of thousands of modern art pieces currently on display at the museum or from previous exhibits.

Highlights of the collection include Claude Monet's Water Lilies, Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, and Pablo Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, as well as works by Andy Warhol, Elizabeth Murray, Cindy Sherman, and many others. The Museum now receives approximately 3 million visitors per year and has over 130,000 members.

Pieces/Items on Display: 129

Museum Type: Modern Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/moma-the-museum-of-modern-art

The Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., seeks to understand the natural world and human place in it. The National Portrait Gallery, the American Art Museum, the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, the Museum of Natural History, and the Freer Sackler Museums of Asian Art are among the dozens of museums represented by Google Arts & Culture online museum tours. For a 360-degree panoramic view of the Natural History Museum, go to the Smithsonian website or Google Arts & Culture.

The nature of the Natural History Museum's exhibits is especially impressive when viewed from a distance. The American Art Museum is also minimally represented on Google Arts & Culture, with only a couple hundred pieces of art and a minimal 360 tour. The museum's own website has a larger selection of pieces.

Pieces/Items on Display: 10,705

Museum Type: Art, Design, History+

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/smithsonian-national-museum-of-natural-history

The Louvre is one of the world's most famous and visited art museums, and while its online offering isn't as extensive as that of other museums, you can still view many of its pieces from the comfort of your own home. The museum does not have any items on Google Arts & Culture, nor can you see panoramic views from inside the museum on the platform. However, you can virtually explore the museum's grounds, which house several impressive statues and works of art.

You'll have to go to the Louvre's own website for panoramic views of the museum's interior, where there are a few free virtual museum tours available. However, the navigation is not as smooth as Google's. You can also find a number of items displayed on the Louvre site, however many of the descriptions are in French only.

Pieces/Items on Display: 1,342

Museum Type: Art

View Details: louvre.fr/en/online-tours

The Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibits over 5,000 years of art from around the world for all to see and enjoy. The Museum is housed in three iconic New York City locations: The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters. Millions of people participate in The Met experience online as well.

Since its inception in 1870, The Met has aspired to be more than just a treasury of rare and beautiful objects. Every day, art comes to life in the Museum's galleries, exhibitions, and events, revealing both new ideas and unexpected connections across time and cultures. This revered New York landmark has a very respectable showing on Google Arts & Culture, with a virtual tour that allows you to walk through the museum's halls as if you were there and hundreds of items on display ranging from paintings to historical fashion pieces.

Pieces/Items on Display: 719

Museum Type: Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, founded in 1937, is dedicated to promoting understanding and appreciation of art, primarily of the modern and contemporary periods, through exhibitions, education programs, research initiatives, and publications. The Guggenheim network, which began in the 1970s with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, has since grown to include the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao (which opened in 1997) and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi (currently in development).

The Guggenheim does not have a large number of pieces on Google Arts & Culture, but the ones it does have external links to its own website, where there is an unprecedented amount of information on each. Contemporary artists from the museum's UBS Map Global Art Initiative have also contributed video pieces about their work. The museum's panoramic views on Google Arts & Culture provide a good representation of what the museum has to offer.

Pieces/Items on Display: 655

Museum Type: Modern Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/solomon-r-guggenheim-museum

Giorgio Vasari designed the Uffizi in 1560 for Cosimo I de'Medici to house the Granducal Magistratures of Tuscany. The top floor loggia eventually became an exhibition space for the dynastic collection of ancient sculptures, artworks, and artifacts.

The virtual tour of this Italian gallery is a must-see for renaissance art enthusiasts. It's easy to navigate, and the gallery's hallways are adorned with statues and paintings. The gallery has a small number of items on Google Arts & Culture, but they are among the world's most famous works, and there is a wealth of information on each one.

Pieces/Items on Display: 156

Museum Type: Italian Renaissance Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/uffizi-gallery

The Rijksmuseum is the Netherlands' national museum. Its world-renowned masterworks from the Dutch Golden Age include Vermeer's Milkmaid and Rembrandt's Night Watch. The Rijksmuseum is a work of art in and of itself. The collection is housed in a stunning structure with stunning interior design. 8,000 objects tell the story of 800 years of Dutch art and history, from the Middle Ages to Mondrian, in 80 galleries. Every year, over 2.5 million visitors travel through the ages, experiencing a sense of beauty and time.

Not only is the Rijksmuseum the most important source of such art, but it is also the most well-represented museum of any kind on Google Arts & Culture. With over 150,000 items on display, including works by Rembrandt and Vermeer, you can get a comprehensive education in Dutch art history from the comfort of your own home. The Street View navigation of the museum's stunning grounds is also among the most impressive of any museum.

Pieces/Items on Display: 164,510

Museum Type: Dutch Golden Age Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/rijksmuseum

The J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center displays works of art from the eighth to the twenty-first century against a backdrop of dramatic architecture, tranquil gardens, and breathtaking views of Los Angeles. The collection includes European paintings, drawings, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts, and photographs from Europe, Asia, and America.

This Los Angeles museum's virtual exploration appears to be limitless. Not only are there over 15,000 items to browse, but the descriptions are among the best, and several items include audio explanations. The exhibits' interior 360-degree views are stunning and expansive.

Pieces/Items on Display: 15,713

Museum Type: Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum

The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam houses the world's largest collection of Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) artworks. Vincent van Gogh's permanent collection includes over 200 paintings, 500 drawings, and over 750 letters. The museum also hosts exhibitions on various topics related to 19th-century art history.

The museum's panoramic views are excellent, but the descriptions accompanying the paintings are brief. The virtual Van Gogh Museum experience is geared more toward those who are familiar with his work rather than those who want to learn about his technique and history for the first time. There is an external link to the museum's YouTube page, which includes video explanations of some of his most well-known works.

Pieces/Items on Display: 151

Museum Type: Post-Impressionist Art

View Details: artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum