Are you both an art lover and a fan of new technology? Nowadays these two passions blend easily together through apps as well as helpful websites. With these 7 apps for art lovers, enhance your knowledge, help teach your kids, plan trips or just stimulate your brain.

smartphone-apps-art
Smartphone apps for art lovers (Photo Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash)

Magnus

Magnus is like Shazam for Art. Take a photo of any work and the app tells you everything you need to know – the name of the artist, price, the gallery in which it is on display and artist’s exhibition history. The image can also be shared on social media and saved in your digital collection. This is basically the Holy Grail of art apps.

Cost: free | App Store
www.magnus.net

 

Artsy

This app allows you to discover galleries, exhibitions and museums along with all the information you need for your next cultural experience. Find the perfect artwork, contact art galleries and bid on live auctions on the go. Launched last year, Artsy now works with over 4,000 galleries, 600 museums and institutions bringing 400,000 works of art spanning the entire art world.

Cost: free | App Store
www.artsy.net

 

WikiArt

WikiArt is an absolute must for art lovers. It gives you access to one of the largest online repositories of fine art, with more than 2000 artists and 110,000 artworks from across the globe.

Cost: free | App Store
www.wikiart.org

 

ArtNow

ArtNow is a global directory of all interesting museums and famous galleries in the world. This app tracks trending art on Instagram, collects the most recent photos for each museums and sorts them by artwork. Use ArtNow to get inspired and find museums you would like to visit.

Cost: Free | App Store

 

Curiator

Initially an online platform, it is now also an app for smartphone and tablet. All art on Curiator is contributed by users. Once the viewer has captured an image of a wall label in a gallery, the app recognizes the artist’s name and work’s title.

Cost: Free | App Store
curiator.com

 

Musee du Louvre

Even if you’re not planning a visit to Paris, the official app of the Musée du Louvre allows you to stay up to date with exhibitions, browse the masterpieces at a high resolution, read about museum’s history, reading interviews to the experts in the field. You can also download wallpaper, screensavers and other content for your smartphone. Ideal reading for your commute!

Cost: Free | App Store
www.louvre.fr

 

National Gallery

This was the first app released by a major gallery and it takes you on a special tour through the National Gallery’s masterpieces. Artists, techniques and trends are illustrated with HQ images and three extra hours of audio and video content brings art to life.

Cost: 2.29 £ | App Store
www.nga.gov

 

Special mention: ArArt is a fascinating use of technology to enhance art. By simply gliding your camera over the artwork, the app recognizes and animates it. Imaging witnessing the action behind Picasso’s Guernica, or capturing a glimpse of the special feelings between Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa while he was painting. With this app you can.

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