Google Arts & Culture 与 Courtauld 推出《The Art of Looking》艺术项目

Nov 04, 2026

The Art of Looking, a new project from Google Arts & Culture and the Courtauld, invites you to take a closer look at historic works of art.

Mark Hallett

Märit Rausing Director of the Courtauld Institute of Art

Amit Sood

VP, Google Arts & Culture

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Today, we are delighted to launch ‘The Art of Looking’, a major expansion of the partnership between Google Arts & Culture and the Courtauld Institute of Art. This collection, which brings together art made across centuries and continents, reflects a shared commitment to opening up art and art history to the broadest possible audience, in keeping with the Courtauld’s commitment to art for all. Additionally, we’re jointly announcing a new artist residency to explore how AI can be used for metadata workflows in cultural institutions.

The 12 new stories in ‘The Art of Looking’ take on some of the most fundamental questions we can ask about art. In ‘What does art mean?’ Professor Dorothy Price shows how the painter Lubaina Himid used her imagination to rewrite history, while in ‘Who is art for?’ Dr. Tom Stammers traces how artist Rosa Bonheur bypassed the elite gatekeepers of her day to reach a global audience. The stories also take us closer to how artists made the works themselves: zoom into the bold marks of Van Gogh’s reed pens, explore the enduring riddle of Michelangelo’s The Dream, or discover with Dr. Jessica Barker how Claudette Johnson uses the monumental scale of Blues Dance to give her subjects a powerful presence.

An oil painting depicts a blonde barmaid standing behind a marble counter, which is lined with bottles, roses, and a bowl of oranges. The extensive mirror behind her reflects the bustling theater interior of the Folies-Bergère and her interaction with a male customer.

A Post-Impressionist self-portrait depicts a bearded man in a heavy green coat and fur-lined cap with a thick white bandage covering his right ear and cheek. Behind him, a pale yellow wall displays a colorful Japanese woodblock print alongside an easel with a canvas.

An expressive figurative artwork shows a Black woman swaying mid-dance, rendered with broad pastel strokes and vibrant blue and warm-toned washes. Her dynamic pose and fluid contours convey rhythm and bodily presence against a minimalist backdrop.

A Northern Renaissance panoramic painting shows Mary in a red cloak holding an infant while riding a donkey, led by Joseph down a winding, rocky hillside path. Below them lies a vast river valley flanked by rugged mountains, miniature castles, and a distant, hazy sky.

Founded in 1932 as the first institution in the UK devoted to the study of art history, the Courtauld is today an internationally renowned center for teaching and research, as well as a major public gallery. It is home to the largest community of art historians and conservators in the UK, and its scholars have long been pioneers in using technology, from X-rays to chemistry, to reveal what lies beneath the surface of works of art. Making its collection — and the research behind it — accessible to audiences across the globe remains a central priority.

Google Arts & Culture first partnered with The Courtauld in 2022, using Google’s Art Camera to capture 16 iconic works in remarkable depth and detail. For the first time, anyone, anywhere could follow the extraordinary play of Manet’s brushstrokes across the surface of “A Bar at the Folies-Bergère”.

Artist residency

In addition to The Art of Looking, the Courtauld and Google Arts & Culture are announcing a new artist residency to explore how AI can unlock the Courtauld’s extensive photographic collections. It lays the foundation for making these images searchable and connecting them to learning curricula worldwide.

We look forward to seeing how these tools can open up art education to new audiences and create even more immersive ways of learning. Explore The Art of Looking today at goo.gle/courtauld.

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