The world of the visual arts is, at times, a chaotic one. There are a myriad of different institutions attempting to garner the attention of experts in the field, the general public, and various philanthropic organizations. It can be a complex landscape, but this latest report from the RAND organization goes a long way to document the many challenges that the visual arts community faces. While...

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Collection allows visitors to search and browse through the majority of the objects on display at the museum in digital format. The collection includes sculpture, furniture and textiles, garments, ceramics, silver and other household artifacts. Items in the collection come from a wide variety of eras: the museum contains artifacts ranging from twenty-first century BCE...

Organized in 1903, the Dallas Museum of Art has continued to grown by leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings. Fortunately for interested parties, the Museum has developed a substantial web presence that includes a nice overview of its primary collections, information about visiting the Museum, and a selection of educational resources. The collections page is a good place to start perusing...

Despite living most of his life in France, Paul Gauguin is immediately identified with Tahiti, largely due to his immense body of visual art (such as paintings and sculptures) that were produced during his time there during the turn of the 19th century. One of these monumental works is an impressive canvas titled, Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going? At the time of its...

Visitors to the Web version of this Getty Museum exhibition may well have an advantage over on-site visitors. While the physical exhibition features more than 130 illuminated books produced in Flanders between 1470 and 1560, viewers at the Web site have a chance to get much closer to twenty selected manuscripts, using the Zoom & Explore functions provided. Click a thumbnail to investigate a single...

The Peabody Essex Museum was formed in 1992 as part of the merger between two fine institutions based in Salem, Massachusetts: the Peabody Museum of Salem and the Essex Institute. Since that time, the Peabody Essex Museum has seen a major addition (designed by Moshe Safdie) and experienced a resurgence of interest in its diverse collections, which encompass maritime items, works on paper, and...

The Royal Academy of Arts in London sponsors work that ranges across a multitude of diverse artistic traditions and practices. For visitors who aren't planning a trip to London in the near future, this site allows them to experience some of their very fine programs and initiatives. First-time visitors will want to look at the "RA Collections" area, which profiles the work of an artist in their...

Some museums of fine art pride themselves on their diverse collections of Old Masters, or their attempts to locate the latest visual artists working on the very cutting-edge of contemporary aesthetic or political expression. Thankfully, there is a playful and compelling alternative presented within the virtual context of the Museum of Bad Art. Simultaneously skewering the sometimes overwhelming...

With some of the most exquisite frescoes in Europe, the Vatican created this Web site that highlights some of their remarkable holdings, many of which are situated within the various rooms of the Apostolic Palace. As many travelers may be unable to wait in the seemingly endless lines that are a hallmark of visiting the Vatican, the site offers a nice overview of some of the works that have been...