The borders have been closed since mid-March, as have the museums... But some works have remained accessible so they could be enjoyed by art lovers.
During the crisis caused by the coronavirus epidemic, the Flemish Tourist Office, in partnership with several museums, had the idea of launching the "Stay At Home Museum" project. The idea is to continue welcoming visitors despite the lockdown, by organising a virtual guided tour of the main museums in Flanders. The greatest Flemish masters were presented, from Van Eyck, to Bruegel and Rubens. There was also a question-and-answer session with an art expert after the visit. The tours are still available on YouTube, with sign language and subtitles in different languages.
Today we can say that the "Stay At Home Museum" project is a real success. The first two virtual tours achieved more than 330,000 views in nearly 40 countries. In total, nearly 2.5 million art lovers have visited the Stay At Home Museum.
The BBC has even proclaimed it the "Best Lockdown Entertainment", while American television channel CNN decided to include one of the sessions in its reports. From now on, virtual tours will be part of the regular offer of vrt.nu and the Archives for Education. If you are an art lover, why not watch the different clips.
