Organised by the Universal Museum of Art (UMA), the Club Innovation & Culture (CLIC France) and 64 French museums in 58 different towns, the online exhibition From the Renaissance to the 20th century: Masterpieces of painting in French museums showcases a vast panorama of European art from the 15th to the 20th centuries. From the Musée d’Orsay in Paris to the Musée Toulouse Lautrec in Albi, via the Musées des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux or Lyon, each institution offers between two to five of its masterpieces to admire. 

No less than five centuries of painting, divided into 10 themes such as religion, power or mythology, are covered. While art lovers will be able to rediscover a number of major works, the exhibition is also a wonderful introduction to the history of art for those less in the know. To enable everyone to understand them, the 150 paintings are accompanied by detailed explanations – click on the works to access the comments – on the different paintings, eras or political contexts. 

Visible online on the Universal Museum of Art website, the exhibition will also soon be accessible in virtual reality, offering visitors the possibility of moving from room to room, to look where they wish or even to approach a painting to appreciate the smallest details.