TOLEDO, OHIO.- Approximately 300 masterworks in the Toledo Museum of Art collection now can be explored online from anywhere in the world. Via the eMuseum link on the TMA website, users can search and browse the collection by object title, artist, material, date or type. Each entry features an extended description behind the work and, for many objects, users can zoom in and pan around images for highly detailed viewing.

Drawn from the Museum's 2009 publication Masterworks, these highlighted objects from the collection are arranged by geographical area and time period, such as American and European art from the 17th through the 21st centuries; art from Africa, Asia, and the Near and Middle East; and art from the ancient Mediterranean, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Each section integrates—as in the Museum's galleries—paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, jewelry, furniture, prints and photographs.

“The masterworks featured online honor more than a century of collecting at the Toledo Museum of Art,” said Director Brian Kennedy. “This selection is the first in an ongoing initiative to digitize and expand access to our collection for those planning a visit, and for those who can’t visit us in person.”

Since the launch, the 24 contemporary objects in the Welles Sculpture Garden have been added to the online database. The next area of focus will be to digitize TMA’s world-renowned glass collection. The Museum aims to have a large selection of its glass online by next spring when Toledo hosts the 2012 Glass Art Society international conference.

To access eMuseum, users can visit www.toledomuseum.org/collection and click on "Search Highlights of the Collection here." The launch of TMA’s online collection is the result of years of work by TMA staff. More than 100 museums worldwide use eMuseum to reach web-based audiences.