LONDON, UK.- ArtStart is the stunning new interactive multimedia system that replaced the Micro Gallery in February 2005. Using a high quality touch-screen, ArtStart allows the visitor to browse the collection for information on every painting in the Gallery, regardless of their knowledge of art history or technical skills.

ArtStart features specially written in-depth explorations of thirty of the collection's most popular paintings, including video and audio clips. The Themes and Tours section allows paintings to be explored via a range of topics, ranging from 'Impressionism' to 'Drunkenness and Debauchery'. In addition, every painting can be examined in detail via a 'zoomable' image - from the wasps in Botticelli's 'Venus and Mars' to the petals of Van Gogh's 'Sunflowers'.

The ArtStart room in the Sainsbury Wing has been beautifully designed and refurbished to create a relaxed and comfortable environment. The room will have twelve screens and a printing facility. There will be four other screens: two in the Sainsbury Wing foyer and two on the link between the Sainsbury Wing and the main building. Further screens will be available in the East Wing when the Lower Hall opens.

ArtStart took three years of careful planning and development in collaboration with digital agency NYKRIS and has been shortlisted in the design category for the prestigious BAFTA Interactive Awards.

ArtStart has been made possible with the generous support of the American Express Foundation.