Today, we’re excited to kickstart Europeana 280, our cross-border campaign to get Europe excited about its shared art heritage and celebrate our new site, Europeana Art History Collections.
We’re launching our unfolding virtual exhibition, Faces of Europe, bringing together magnificent artworks from all 29 countries taking part in the campaign. The introductory part published today gives a glimpse of the exciting journey ahead. Caravaggio, Goya, Velázquez, Munch and Manet… There are lots of famous names from European art. But what about Leis Malle or Hanna Pauli? True to the spirit of Europeana 280, household names from art history sit side by side with their fascinating but less widely known counterparts. Every two weeks from today until July, we’ll unveil a new chapter, and touch on themes like revolution, the inspiration of nature and ideas of truth and beauty in art.
As part of Europeana 280, we’ll also be starting a series of public events in cities across Europe with the #BigArtRide – a ground-breaking mix of virtual reality, great art and… cycling! People across Europe will have a chance to take a virtual journey through a futuristic city using an Oculus Rift headset, experiencing centuries of Europe’s art along the way.
After kicking off in the Hague and Brussels, the event will take place in Amsterdam throughout the 12 weeks, and tour through seven further European cities. Please join us if you can!
21 April, 11:45 AM – INAUGURATION: Brussels, Marnixlaan 24, 1000 (Ing Bank) & Den Haag, Het Plein
22 April, 10:00 AM – 23 April, 5:30 PM – Brussels, Marnixlaan 24, 1000 (Ing Bank) & Amsterdam, Oosterdokskade 143, (OBA)
27 April, 10:00 AM – 30 April, 7:00 PM – Wroclaw, Rynek & Amsterdam , Vondelpark
06 – 08 May – Rome & Amsterdam
20 – 22 May – Prague & Amsterdam
25 – 28 May – Brussels & Amsterdam
30 May – 1 June – Berlin & Amsterdam
9 – 11 June – London & Amsterdam
23 – 25 June – Paris & Amsterdam
Later in the summer, in museums and galleries in other cities across Europe, digital installations – Jumping Jacks – combining art with interactive technology and moving, dynamic human bodies will let participants project their own body transformed by cut-outs from the Europeana 280 artworks onto walls and ceilings, – creating their own unique, moving artworks.
If you can’t make it along to one of these events, there’s still plenty of fun and innovative ways to get involved and discover treasures from your country and beyond.
The ‘Europeana 280’ collection can further be explored and enjoyed online via Europeana Collections, through apps DailyArt and ArtStack and the new Europeana colouring app based on works in the collection CREATE, as well as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest using #Europeana280.