Back in March, when what felt like the whole world was trapped in lockdown, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and Instagram account Between Art and Quarantine challenged people on social media to recreate famous works of art.
More institutions, like the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, got on board and the challenge blew up on the internet in an instant. The results were both humorous and super creative, and people seemed to love the project so much that it stuck around.
Bored Panda reached out to Julie Jaskol from the Getty Museum Communications team, who told us that during the height of the online museum challenge’s popularity, the team was getting 500 to 1000 submissions a day. Today, the initial excitement has declined, but the staff still receives 60 to 70 artwork recreations every day.
Julie believes that the challenge went viral because it “speaks to the power of art to connect us with one another, particularly during a time of isolation.” Moreover, it allowed “people all over the world to form a community, which we all need right now.”
The Getty Museum staff likes to think that the challenge will continue to bring joy and invention to people.
They will also be releasing a book this fall titled “Off the Walls: Inspired Re-Creations of Iconic Artworks.” According to Julie, it will “celebrate the challenge and the people who rose to take it.”
Getty Publications will donate all profits from the sale of this book to Artist Relief, an emergency initiative offering resources to artists across the US.
