Sharjah Art Museum launches free virtual tour of its permanent collection

Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA) announced the launch of virtual tours and online exhibits of a few of its contemporary and modern art masterpieces housed at the Sharjah Art Museum.

The initiative comes amidst a Stay Home campaign by the authorities in the UAE who are urging residents to remain at home as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The exhibits that are available to view virtually include about 100 paintings from the museum’s permanent gallery including Memories – 1988, by Emirati Abdul Qader Al Rais; Man without a Tongue – 1986, by Palestinian Ahmad Nawash; Violinist – 1999 by Iraqi Italian artist Jaber Alwan; Ahzan – 1971 by Syrian Louay Kayyali; and The Hoopoe by Egyptian artist Shalabiya Ibrahim, reported official news agency WAM.

The free self-guided online tours can be accessed via SMA’s website.

“SMA is very keen on enhancing its communication channels in order to retain a continuous contact with individuals locally and globally in a manner that serves two important goals, promoting art, and ensuring the safety of all people,” said Manal Ataya, director-general of SMA.

“During the public’s commitment to staying at home, we aim to provide our audiences an opportunity to virtually enjoy the wealth of artworks in our permanent collection at the Sharjah Art Museum. We have always made the visitor our number one priority and during these times we must invest further in digital platforms to continue to serve them” added Ataya.

In related developments around the arts and culture divisions of the emirate, on April 13 the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) announced the launch of the Sharjah Virtual Reading Festival.

Read: Sharjah Book Authority launches virtual reading festival

The 10-day festival, scheduled to run from May 27 to June 5, will see multiple acclaimed writers and authors from around the world connect virtually to offer literature and art enthusiasts a range of cultural, literary and poetry sessions and workshops.