PARIS.- To commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci in France, the Louvre is preparing a seminal retrospective of da Vinci’s artistic career, opening to the public on 24 October 2019. As part of this landmark exhibition, the Louvre will present the museum’s first virtual reality (VR) experience, in partnership with HTC VIVE Arts, which will bring to life the story of the Mona Lisa, da Vinci’s most famous masterpiece, on an HTC VIVE headset.

The VR experience, Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass, will provide an opportunity for visitors to interact with the painting in virtual space. Viewers will have the rare chance to be immersed into the world’s most iconic painting, stepping behind the glass to access the intriguing portrait up close in an entirely new, transformative way.

Produced in close collaboration with the Louvre’s own curatorial team for this unprecedented retrospective of the artist, this creative virtual reality experience will allow audiences around the world to gain new insight into the Mona Lisa. The VR experience will also be available as a home version on HTC’s digital subscription service, VIVEPORT, alongside other online VR platforms, allowing audiences around the world to access Mona Lisa: Beyond the Glass.

Dominique de Font-Réaulx, Director of the Interpretation and Cultural Programming Department at the Louvre, said: “On the occasion of the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition and for the very first time, the Musée du Louvre is delighted to present a virtual reality experience, in partnership with HTC VIVE Arts. The public will be able to discover an immersive experience of an extraordinary masterpiece. This collaboration will allow visitors to meet and learn more about the Mona Lisa herself, beyond the myths and legends that have accompanied her for more than 500 years.”

Victoria Chang, Director of VIVE Arts at HTC, said: “We are honoured to be able to work closely with the Louvre to present their first VR experience on an HTC VIVE headset as part of this monumental exhibition. Through this new experience, global audiences will be able to access the Mona Lisa in virtual space, seeing the work in detail from anywhere in the world. Allowing visitors who may not be able to visit the exhibition in person to access this remarkable masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci through our home version will give unprecedented access to da Vinci’s most celebrated painting.”