Masterpieces Go Online
By Sa Eun-young
Staff Reporter
A web-accessible collection of Asian masterpieces is now available anywhere around the world.
The Virtual Collection of Masterpieces (VCM), an online selection of images and information on Asian collections from Asian and European museums, was launched by the Asia-Europe Museum Network (ASEMUS) in co-operation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF).
ASEMUS is a network of more than 60 important museums in Asia and Europe, promoting greater understanding between the two continents through museum-based programs that share collections with the support of ASEF.
The VCM is primarily intended for educational and informational purposes, with a wide target audience including students, museum professionals and the general public who are not familiar with art collections in Asia and Europe.
``In this digital era, I hope that VCM can be an alternative tool to connect in one click away and inspire young people from around the globe. It would create as well more discussions and better understanding about the strong relationship between Asia and Europe," said Ambassador Cho Won-il, Executive Director of ASEF, at the VCM grand launch ceremony.
The grand launch of the VCM was hosted by Gyeonnggi Provincial Museum in Korea on Sept.13, which took place during the ASEMUS General Conference held at the same location.
Gyeonggi Provincial Museum holds a special VCM exhibition through Nov.11, showcasing around 100 masterpieces from Asian and European museums on LCD screens and the actual masterpieces from participating Korean museums.
The artworks on the Web site are presented together with the history of the objects and explanations by curators as to why the work is considered a masterpiece. It also has feature sections such as ``Masterpiece of the Day," a pick out of the masterpiece database, and ``Stories," unfolding the story behind artworks in the form of virtual exhibitions.
The service currently provides information on masterpieces in both English and the original language of the contributing museum, with plans to offer fully multilingual services in the future.
To view the website visit https://masterpieces.asemus.museum