National Gallery launches online experience Imaginarium
Today, the National Gallery unveils the Imaginarium, a virtual museum space where visitors can engage with artworks in a completely new way, powered by AI. Especially for the London museum’s 200th anniversary, we collaborated with Q42 to develop a 3D experience that emphasizes the power of imagination in art and the concept of "slow looking."
In 2025, the National Gallery will celebrate its 200th year. To mark the occasion, we sought an innovative way to enhance the digital art experience: the Imaginarium.
Bringing art to life
The Imaginarium is a world with its own character: paintings do not simply hang on the walls but float freely through the space. Like a dream, the Imaginarium is rooted in reality but expands into a realm of limitless possibilities. Because the experience itself is key, the website features minimal functional buttons. Instead, the focus is on dialogue and immersion. Visitors can examine paintings in fine detail, but they also come to life through AI. Elements within the artworks can subtly move—such as figures shifting slightly—and sounds enhance the storytelling, like the distant mooing of cows. These delicate animations respect the integrity of the original paintings while adding depth to the narrative.
"It is important for the National Gallery to deepen engagement with the paintings that visitors experience remotely," says John Stack, Director of Digital Innovation and Technology at the National Gallery. "We know that slow looking offers significant benefits, including deeper insights, emotional connections, and mindfulness. That’s why it makes perfect sense for us to use new technologies to bring this experience to visitors who cannot spend all their time with our paintings in person, to spark their imagination and inspire new perspectives."
Want to know more? Check out the National Gallery’s case on our website!