ArtPassport allows you to take a tour of exhibitions anytime, anywhere, writes Neha Pant

The founders of the online gallery guide GalleriesNow, brothers Tristram and Patrick Fetherstonhaugh, have come up with a unique app that lets you view your favourite pieces of art, all without having to step out from the comfort of your home. Called ArtPassport, the app gives you a 360 degree virtual experience of real exhibitions. It also gives you detailed information about the artist and their work. The app has already given virtual tours of recent exhibitions such as Haroon Mirza, Jake and Dinos Chapman. The idea of the app came to the brothers three years ago when they realised that they were missing art shows and couldn’t find a good resource to stay informed, so they decided to build one themselves.

Although it is hard to replicate real experiences with virtual ones, the brothers believe it is a smart attempt to perhaps bring the crowds back into the real art world. A trend that has seen many galleries worldwide digitise their archives and even make much of their work available for downloads. According to a similar report published in The Guardian, platforms such as Artsy, has 800,000 artworks as well as extensive coverage of the art world. The  Google’s Arts and Culture app too already offers access to more than 1,500 museums and libraries around the world which include 360 degree virtual tours of exhibitions. Even Facebook live-streamed a virtual exhibition of five versions of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers hanging in galleries around the world.

Ever since its launch in May, ArtPassport has more than 40,000 downloads and has been named one of the best Apps of 2017 by Time Magazine. We say it isn’t too bad especially if you’re new and ready to get acquainted with the art world, give it a shot.