what a year 2020 has been… and as we prepare to close it, we have compiled the most talked about projects from the previous 12 months as part of our BIG stories series. on this occasion, we are presenting you with the best digital exhibitions and virtual tours of 2020, a forced trend that was brought to us following the lockdowns imposed to help reduce the spread of the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.

from a beautiful video showcasing how light punctuates le corbusier’s la tourette to google partnering with over 500 global art institutions to open their virtual spaces to the public, we highlight the best projects of 2020 that presented us with a safe alternative to physical attendance, taking on a new significance in light of the first post-internet pandemic.

1 – a delightful video of le corbusier’s la tourette by spirit of space

image by spirit of space

filmmaking collaborative spirit of space released a virtual tour of le corbusier’s sainte marie de la tourette monastery. the video, which highlights the use of natural light in the architectural design, gives an authentic experience of the architect’s final building located on a hillside near lyon, france. the building offers a unique synthesis of the accomplishments of the modern movement through a combination of purist lines, brutalist surfaces and exceptional constructive solutions.

2 – google partnered with over 500 global art institutions to open their virtual tours to the public

google arts and culture, the online platform dedicated to providing public access to the collections of some of the world’s most preeminent art museums, partnered with over 500 global art institutions to open their virtual tours to the public. with this, they marked a trend which developed throughout the year to what we’re currently experiencing. the platform allowed users to browse featured museum collections, or use google’s interior street view to wander around gallery halls.

3 – the tomb of pharaoh ramses VI in egypt

under a campaign titled experience egypt from home. stay home. stay safe, the egyptian government launched a series of virtual tours of the country’s most famed museums and archeological sites giving visitors the opportunity to experience their ancient heritage from home. this remarkable 3D virtual tour of pharaoh’s ramses VI tomb — also known as KV) and first discovered in 1898 — features some of the most well-preserved wall reliefs and decorations in the world.

4 – the art basel online viewing rooms

art basel — following the cancellation of its hong kong 2020 edition — launched a new digital initiative to offer exhibitors an additional way to showcase artworks to its global network of patrons, collectors and buyers. in art basel’s ‘online viewing room‘, collectors and cultural patrons were free to browse a concisely-curated virtual catalog of thousands of works, searching by galleries, artists, and medium. also, just like the physical fairs, the online showrooms began with a preview, accessible only to VIP card holders, followed by several days when the showrooms were open to the public.

5 – ‘louise bourgeois drawings 1947-2007’ by HAUSER & WIRTH

for its inaugural online exhibition, which opened digitally on march 25 2020, HAUSER & WIRTH brought a selection of drawings by celebrated french-american artist louise bourgeois. drawing was a daily ritual throughout bourgeois’s seven-decade career, used as a necessary tool to record and exorcise her memories and emotions. the works in this presentation captured her inner psyche through undulating marks in ink, watercolor and pencil.

6 – penguins get private tour of nelson-atkins museum of art in kansas city

while we were forced to stay indoors, three penguins from kansas city zoo took a field trip to the nelson-atkins museum. on the private tour of the empty galleries, our winged friends were able to study key movements in the field of art, from baroque to french impressionism. ‘they seemed to react much better to caravaggio than monet,’ commented julián zugazagoitia, executive director and CEO of the nelson-atkins museum. and although this is not technically a virtual tour, we thought it would be a nice addition to the list.

7 – tour of bjarke ingels group’s occupiable sculpture, vancouver house

westbank and bjarke ingels group (BIG) invited viewers to virtually explore the recently completed ‘vancouver house’. during the virtual video tour, westbank’s ian gillespie emphasized that the tower offers residents the chance to live within a sculpture which, when it comes to the ground plane, creates an entire neighborhood. the unique form of the tower was generated in direct response to the characteristics and constraints of the site, standing as one of the tallest buildings along the city’s skyline at 497 feet (151 meters). the residential building’s undulating profile seems to twist upwards from its triangular base, gradually growing into a rectangular geometry that rises above downtown vancouver.

8 – MASSIMO DE CARLO launched a virtual space with the john armleder and rob pruitt

MASSIMO DE CARLO launched ‘virtual space’: a new walkable and flexible immersive experience that you could enjoy from home — the first of its kind in the art world. constructed using the newest technologies, VSpace is an immersive exhibition setting that any viewer can enjoy through the gallery’s website or through oculus glasses. VSpace was inaugurated with a joint show featuring influential swiss artist john armleder, and new works by american post-conceptual artist rob pruitt.

9 – WHAT’S UP/TWENTY TWENTY: a digital art exhibit set within fictional architectural worlds

LVH art presented its first online exhibition and ninth iteration of the what’s up shows. curated by lawrence van hagen, WHAT’S UP / TWENTY TWENTY is a selling exhibition for our time, one that challenges the physical exhibition space as we know it and releases viewers from the confines of one gallery in one location. visitors and buyers alike were invited to journey through unique venues, viewing artworks and design pieces by both emerging and established artists.

10 – ‘museum of no spectators’ proposed for burning man

before it was announced that the 2020 edition of burning man will be held virtually, architect john marx and artist absinthia vermut were working on a unique concept for the event — the ‘museum of no spectators’. marx sought to question how the museum typology could be applied to the event, which usually takes place every year in the black rock desert of northwestern nevada. ‘what would a museum be like on the playa within burning man culture?’ asks the design team. ‘what would you do there? what role would art play, what role would people play, what role would you play?’