TULSA, OK.- Google recently announced a partnership with Philbrook Museum of Art for its trailblazing global Art Project. Philbrook is the first institution to represent the state of Oklahoma and one of only a handful in the middle of America. Philbrook brings 57 works representing 44 artists to this international scholarship initiative. A general art museum, the Philbrook permanent collection ranges across genres including Italian Renaissance art of Fabriano (1410) and contemporary work of Gary Simmons (2011) among other American, Asian, and Native American works spanning centuries.

The partnership between Philbrook Museum of Art and Google is part of a global expansion of the project, which now counts nearly 200 partners in countries around the world. This latest expansion adds 10% more art to the site bringing the total number of objects up to 35,000. The project includes a wide range of institutions from large to small, well known and less common but all with exceptional works of art ready to share in the spirit of scholarship.

“This open scholarship initiative enhances our commitment to accessibility and provides a unique platform of engagement with the objects in our care. We're certainly honored to be the first institution within the region to partner with the Google Art Project,” says Philbrook Director Rand Suffolk.

The Google Art Projects lets users explore contemporary works at the Istanbul Modern Art Museum, admire works from the Art Gallery of South Australia (who have contributed almost 600 objects) and access the treasures of the famous Palazzo Echo in Italy from the convenience of their personal computer or device. Besides Philbrook Museum of Art, this round of Art Project additions has also seen contributions from more unusual sources including the Museum of Missing Art, which works with Interpol to locate stolen art; the National Ballet of Canada; pre-Columbian art from Peru; and decorative arts from China. These works complement collections from MoMA, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and other leading institutions. So far, only 38 collections in the United States have been selected to take part in the Art Project.