VIVE Arts partners with the Musée d'Orsay to support museum's first-ever VR experience

Published
10/07/2023 by

VIVE Arts has partnered with Musée d'Orsay in Paris to support a new exhibition - Van Gogh in Auvers-sur-Oise: The Final Months and the accompanying virtual reality experience La Palette de Van Gogh, the first ever by the museum.

La Palette de Van Gogh (Van Gogh's Palette), co-produced by Lucid Realities, Tournez s'il vous plaît, VIVE Arts and Musée d'Orsay, takes inspiration from the last surviving paint palette ever used by Vincent van Gogh, now held in Musée d'Orsay's permanent collection.

High-resolution scans of the palette forms the basis of an imagined virtual landscape inspired by the painter's world and use of colour, allowing visitors to have a uniquely interactive and sensory experience of the artist's major works from this period. Reproduced in stunning detail inside the 4K visuals of the VIVE XR Elite headset, visitors can examine the priceless palette like never before, seeing individual brush strokes in the oil paints.

The exhibition is devoted to the Dutch painter's works produced during the artistically prolific last months of his life. The period was one of creative renewal for his own style and development, marked by the psychic tension from his new situation and resulting in some of his greatest masterpieces. 

VIVE Arts is a global arts initiative that supports artists and cultural institutions to experiment with immersive technologies to foster a greater digital ecology in the arts. Fuelled by its mission to democratize art experiences and using technology as a tool to preserve cultural heritage and make art more accessible, VIVE Arts has partnered with leading museums worldwide. These include the Musée du Louvre and the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris; Tate Modern and the V&A in London. It has also worked directly with contemporary artists, including Wu Tsang, to support her work Of Whales which featured in the 2022 Venice Biennale.

Celina Yeh, Director, VIVE Arts said:

"We are delighted to partner with the renowned Musée d'Orsay to provide a unique immersive experience to accompany this exhibition highlighting  Van Gogh's seminal last months. In line with VIVE Arts' mission, La Palette de Van Gogh harnesses the power of immersive technology to offer an experience that is at once entertaining and educational, with audiences in charge of their own adventure as they delve into Van Gogh's world and distinct approach to painting."

Christophe Leribault, President of the Musées d'Orsay and de l'Orangerie said: 

"We will offer visitors of this exceptional Van Gogh exhibition an interactive and immersive experience that will be no less than extraordinary! They will be able to dive into Van Gogh's palette to discover the artist's works and techniques as if they were exploring a landscape. A sensory journey into the world of this revered 19th-century master is made possible through the combination of French creative talents, the scientific expertise of our museums, and 21st-century technologies powered by VIVE Arts!"