the louvre recreates the ‘mona lisa’ in 3D for da vinci exhibition

the louvre has partnered with HTC VIVE arts to create its first virtual reality experience. called ‘mona lisa: beyond the glass,’ it uses infrared, x-ray and refractive data to render the iconic portrait in 3D and deduce what she might have looked like in motion.

images courtesy of the louvre, HTC VIVE arts and emissive

VR artists worked with specialists from the museum to launch the experience in conjunction with leonardo da vinci, the largest exhibition of the great master’s works ever assembled. it aims to democratize access to art experiences by sharing the up close, unique details of the portrait through virtual reality. because of the masses of people the museum attracts each year, visitors are often only granted 30 seconds to view the painting.

the experience removes the crowds that typically surround the mona lisa, allowing viewers to come face-to-face with da vinci’s masterpiece before soaring across the painting’s mountainous landscape. it also reveals details invisible to the naked eye, as well as providing insight into the techniques da vinci used, and the identity of his sitter.

an extended version of mona lisa: beyond the glass is available for download through viveport and other online platforms, for audiences across the globe. the experience also features additional works by da vinci, providing greater insight into the celebrated artist’s oeuvre.

HTC has set up a special viewing room with 11 vive cosmos headsets, inside the museum during the museum’s seminal retrospective exhibition, leonardo da vinci. the exhibition commemorates the 500th anniversary of da vinci’s death in france. it is on view in the hall napoléon at the louvre from october 24, 2019 to february 24, 2020.

project info

museum: louvre
company: HTC VIVE arts
name: mona lisa: beyond the looking glass
developers: emissive
exhibition: leonardo da vinci
dates: october 24, 2019 – february 24, 2020