Art curation 2.0 at Sotheby’s
A full virtual reality experience including 4 surrealist masterpieces.
Rediscovering what you already know
For its impressive surrealist art evening sale at 8pm on the 1st of March in Londo, Sotheby’s has created an immersive experience in collaboration with FGreat Studio. The iconic auction house offers the possibility to anyone stepping into its New Bond Street galleries to “explore” 4 iconic surrealist paintings.
“Explore the illusory perceptions of a Spanish plain in Salvador Dalí’s 1930s masterpiece, Moment de transition. Discover the enigmatic dreamscape of Paul Delvaux’s Jeunes filles au bord de l’eau. Interpret the powerfully evocative part human, part machine-like creatures in André Masson’s Hôtel d’automates. And marvel at the juxtaposition of a powerful lion and a fragile egg in René Magritte’s Le Repas de Noces.” — Sotheby’s
Initially, the Sotheby’s team wanted to create something memorable and exceptional for its forthcoming sale, something that could let visitors rediscover paintings they already know like the back of their hands. Therefore, Virtual Reality appeared as the perfect way to immerse art lovers successively into the worlds’ of Salvator Dalí, Paul Delvaux , André Masson and René Magritte for a few minutes thanks to a pair of Occulus Rift VR headsets.
By pulling this experience together, Sotheby’s has demonstrated its ability to question and to rethink traditional curating techniques. By mixing the evolving needs of art lovers, the possibilities of VR technology and their deep knowledge of the history of art, buyers, and more generally visitors, are placed at the heart of an exhibition that celebrates surrealism. The next steps? Well, curating experiences that are more “artist-driven” and use the VR technology to provide quality art education about artworks’ stories and meanings seems like the obvious direction for the future.
From 2D to 3D
Turning 2D paintings into a 3D experience is no small challenge. Especially due to the complexity of recreating a truthful atmosphere that respects the style of the artist and the texture of each art-piece. This is why, the aim was to avoid by any mean to create new elements in order to provide the feeling of entering the real artworks.
The ambitious project required three full-time professionals for approximately five weeks and the result is delightful.
